Rock Bottom: Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust
by morbid333
Summary: Two centuries have passed since the events of ‘Gundam Seed’ and now, a boy named Kira must survive in a cruel world that loathes his very existence, simply for being different… Rated M for abuse, violence, explicit themes etc. K/L A/C S/L D/M S/S S/F
1. Calm Before the Storm

**Rock Bottom:**

**Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed, All Names, places and characters relating to Gundam Seed belong to Sunrise, All original names, places and characters belong to me.

Two centuries have passed since the events of 'Gundam Seed' and now, a boy named Kira must survive in a cruel world that hates his very existence, simply for being different… Rated M for; abuse, violence, explicit themes and content etc. K/L

**Author's Notes: **It appears that no one has managed to find my story 'Rock Bottom' (Rated M in the Misc Xovers category, so read this and if you like it, go check 'Rock Bottom' which is primarily a Gundam seed/final fantasy VIII crossover (with a few other anime/final fantasy characters thrown in.) before you read this, be warned. This story may take a while to get in and even introduce the main protagonists. Just give it a chance, even if it seems a little too political. The 'teen angst' element will come in later.

**Episode I: Sowing the Seeds of Crisis**

Cosmic Era 270:Two centuries have passed since the events of the first 'Bloody Valentine War' and in this time, the overwhelming conflicts between Earth Alliance and ZAFT have been both numerous and ferocious, separated by brief periods of peace. The endless fighting has ravaged and destroyed the land, as well as putting a tremendous strain on the economy of each nation... At last, the endless cycle of warfare came to an end only after the extermination of the Coordinator.

**Phase 01 – Calm Before the Storm**

_United Earth Nations Headquarters, Washington, Atlantic Federation Capital, North America  
_

A man dressed up in an expensive suit – consisting of White shirt, White trousers, Pastel blue blazer and a pastel green tie, stood outside the large building. He had clear blue eyes and slicked back blonde hair.

He wore an arrogant smirk on his face. If they thought this was punishment, they were sorely mistaken. By the time he got out of here, the entire house-of-representatives would be eating out of his _naturally_ well-crafted hands.

Even after the extermination of mankind's life-long enemy, unrest remained to envelop the universe and even without the existence of those… _space monsters_, the power of corruption would always reign supreme… just as it always had, since humankind first began organizing itself into social groups.

The man repeatedly reminded himself of the fact that he belonged here. This golden opportunity had been granted to him as a reward for his excellent work to benefit the future of earth… the preservation of a blue and pure world.

This opportunity presented before him was a reward… not that he believed in God or any mystical force such as destiny. After all, he was atheist and proud of it. He laughed. It began as a silent amused snicker, but then grew in volume. There he stood, laughing like a lunatic in public.

"The true colour is green" he said slyly. After regaining his composure, he noticed a stray strand of hair hanging over his forehead. He raised his index finger and thumb to the strand and enclosed them around a single hair. Without another single thought crossing the complexities of his mind, he swiftly plucked the hair from his scalp and examined it in the sunlight.

The hair was such a colour that it seemed almost invisible, camouflaged against the backdrop of perfect clear-blue cloudless sky. He tossed the hair away and it fell to the ground with no breeze to carry it away. The man smirked once more. He belonged here.

Politics ran in the blood of his family, ever since that day, when that man – the pioneer of his family, a few called him… when he was unfairly killed by that ship full of coordinator-loving traitors… all those years ago… centuries ago… ancient history, some would say…

The man's thoughts were pushed aside by the sight of a small black dog walking merely towards him. The dog stopped at the man's feet and sat down, panting from the heat in the summer sun.

Looking up at the man, the dog barked. "Ruff!" it said.

"What?" the man asked.

"Ruff!" the dog repeated.

"Well, you're an ugly mutt, aren't you?"

"Ruff!" the dog replied. It tilted its head to the side.

The man laughed. "Dumb animal" he remarked.

The dog stood up and the man looked away in the direction of the large white building, the location in which his hearing was due to begin later.

He looked back down in time to see the dog cocking its leg. The man narrowed his eyes in disgust as he felt the dog's warm liquid excretions running down his ankle.

"Uhh!" he said, shaking the urine from his leg "you Disgusting Mongrel!"

"Ruff, Ruff Ruff!"

"Filthy bastard" he said. He kicked the dog hard, causing it to land in the gutter. The dog stood to its feet, shaking it off. After a sideways glance at the man, the dog hurried away… strait into the steam of traffic. The man smirked once more at the commotion he had caused.

"Well… it was your own fault, after all. Wasn't it?" He laughed at the foolish dog.

The smile on the man's face immediately faded when he heard the sound of a rowdy mob approaching. He turned to see who it was and felt the hatred swell up inside him. It was a tour group, most likely a school field trip.

His loathing of the Coordinator menace was great but almost equally great was his loathing for snot-faced, spoiled-rotten children.

The man was approached by the large group.

"Wow!" exclaimed the overly-energetic tour guide. "You picked a great day today; do you see that man there?"

The question was greeted with murmurs.

"Well, you may just see more of him later today" the tour guide explained. "He's going to be defending himself in an important hearing this afternoon. Isn't that right…? Mister Azrael."

The man grinned once more. "Why yes it is. You kids are in for a real treat… and rest assured, I feel just as much at home in a debate with politicians in peacetime as I do while in command of a battle in wartime."

The man looked at all the faces in the crowd. Some met his gaze with admiration, while others held blank expressions. One or two seemed angry for some unknown reason.

"Well, I have some time to kill" the man said. "Perhaps I can join you on the tour. I haven't been here for a while…"

"Oh… o-of c-course you can" the tour guide answered, a little too eagerly. It seemed she was overly-excited at having someone whom she adored and worshiped as a hero following her on a guided tour. For her, it was like a dream-come-true.

"Good. Oh… and by the way, I certainly hope you have revised for this little job you have been assigned… because I will certainly be taking note, even if none of these students are."

"Yes, of-of course."

"Well, the gates are now open, I see. Shall we go in?" the man asked. He was greeted by a rather nasty look by an early-teenage boy. "Yes? Can I help you with something?" he asked. He spoke in a pleasant voice but his tone was full of his usual arrogance.

"You're not so special. Just a murderer, nothing more" the boy said "what's so special about that? You're just an intollerent murderer!"

"Better to be a murderer than a snot-nosed little bastard, don't you think?" the man answered coolly.

"Ah… May we continue on in?" the guide asked.

"But of course" the man answered, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him. "Go right on ahead. Ladies first and all that… you know?"

The tour guide walked first, heading strait for the entrance of the building. The blonde man walked directly behind her and the tour group walked behind him… although most of them seemed to purposefully keep their distance from the two adults, either through lack of interest or general dislike of the tall blonde man.

The tour guide stood still when she reached the door to the building. She touched her hand to her face and brushed a few strands of crimson hair away from her eyes. She turned around to address the students… then she saw the blonde man watching her, seemingly with interest.

Their eyes met… the guide looked away; she could feel her face growing warm.

"Do I… do I know you? Have we met before?" the blonde man asked.

"Oh… no, at least… not personally" the guide answered.

"I see."

"…but I… I've been closely following your career. You could say… you could say I'm a fan" she was still looking anywhere but at the man.

The blonde man laughed, causing the guide to blush once more.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea."

"What?"

"I wasn't laughing at you, it's just… I was wondering."

The guide looked back towards the man.

"Could I have your… name and number?"

"What?" the guide asked, her cheeks were now turning the same shade as her hair, which hung down behind her, below her shoulders.

"Hey hey hey… relax, would you? My intentions are purely professional."

"Oh… yes, of course." The guide rummaged through the pockets of her sleeveless vest to find a pen and paper. She then hastily scribbled down a number and handed over the paper.

The blonde man examined the numbers, two of them.

"The top one's my mobile number. The bottom one is… me at home."

"Hey! Can we get going?" an angry student protested.

"Oh, yes, of course. Please wait one more moment" the guide said before turning back to the blonde man. "What is this all about?" she asked him.

"Ask me later" the blonde man replied, pocketing the paper. "We'll have a nice little private chat later on, sometime in the future. Sometime… soon, well now, shall we begin the tour? Miss…"

"Oh, well… my name's Yuri… Yuri Tunshini. Are you ready mister Azrael, Ready everyone? We're going in now."

The tour guide with the flame-coloured hair pushed her swipe-card through the locking-mechanism to open the door. "The public open-house is finally open to the public" she remarked.

"How ironic" the blonde man added.

"Not really" Yuri – the tour guide responded. She led the group into the main lobby.

"Alright everyone… that's the first part of the tour over, I think" Yuri said to the group. "We can stop for a break, but first… This is Gallery two. Located in this room are two coffee machines. If you walk strait in that direction" she said, pointing her arm in said direction, "you will come across two public bathrooms and the cafeteria."

Various members of the group scattered in different directions, although most simply walked toward the cafeteria.

"Ah, we all meet back here in half an hour" Yuri said, using a loud voice once more. Having no knowledge of vocal techniques, her throat was getting hoarse. She was desperately in need of a break, and a drink… of anything, anything whatsoever. "Don't be late. I really don't want to have to leave you behind, but I will if I have no other choice."

"You know, you really need to be more forceful" said a voice behind her.

Azrael was standing behind her, examining an old fossil, the ancient 'whale stone.' After all this time, it was still intact. "You can't let people walk all over you. Sometimes, you just have to be forceful and take what you want. If that means getting your hands dirty… then so be it."

"Yeah, I know…"

"_Yeah, I know… I do realize that sir but…"_

"_But what, if you want something, then take it" Azrael said. The man talking to him was one that looked up to him as an idol. They were on the bridge of the flagship of the Atlantic Federation's seventeenth fleet – the Genesis, named after the weapon Zaft had used against the Earth Forces at the end of the First Bloody Valentine War. "Blood stained hands are still capable of holding prizes you know. Sometimes violence is the only viable option. When we get an opportunity like this, it is our duty to seize it with both hands. I'm sure you can understand that."_

"_Sir!" one of the petty officers in the back of the bridge spoke up. "This idea of yours, it's insane."_

"_This is war." Azrael answered. "Sacrifices must be made to ensure our…"_

"_This is a battle of conquest, not one of genocide!"_

"_This is a battle of survival!"_

"_Sir… you bigot, I can't serve under someone like you anymore." The officer pulled a pistol from the holster concealed under his blazer and pointed it at Azrael's chest._

"_Well well, it seems treason is afoot."_

"_Shut up, you murderer, you intolerant bastard!" The officer fired his pistol._

_Azrael should have died on that ship, but he survived. The man that had been talking to him earlier – commander Tunshini, took the bullet._

_During the commotion this had caused, Azrael had time to draw two pistols, his own and the one belonging to Tunshini. "Treason is a crime not tolerated within the Atlantic Federation" he said, smirking. He jumped out from the safety of his dying human shield with the duel pistols, ready to execute every living soul on the ship, if need be. "Traitors must be dealt with, all traitors must die!"_

_With that, he began wildly shooting at anything that moved until he was completely out of ammunition and all the other officers on the bridge were dead…_

Azrael looked carefully at Yuri's face. "What did you say your last name was?" he asked.

"Tunshini" she replied.

"I thought so" Azrael said. He narrowed his eyes. "Was anyone in your family involved with the military near the end of the last war? Perhaps he mentioned something about serving under me?"

Yuri nodded. "My older brother" she answered quietly.

"I see. Were you close?"

"We were."

"Do you… know what happened to him?"

"Yeah, I do.

"Oh?"

"He was killed… by his own subordinates, after you… after you sent out the order for…"

Azrael cut her off. He put his hand in his blazer inside pocket. His fingers gripped something.

"_Don't you see? we have to end this now, damn it! If we don't, we'll never have peace… as long as our enemies live. Send out all reinforcements, order all Strike Genesis units to attack, send out Peacemaker forces seven through nine!"_

"_Sir?"_

"I truly _am_ sorry for your loss" Azrael assured her. "But his death was a necessary occurrence for my plan to succeed. You see, he protected me by sacrificing his own life, then, I was able to avenge him by taking the lives of every last traitor on the ship."

"I know what happened."

"You don't seem angry, you don't blame my actions?"

"No, he acted in the line of duty. I'd have done the same thing."

"I see… it's just too bad there aren't more people like you alive today, people who can see the big picture. Sacrifices must be made."

Yuri nodded. "Would you like something to drink?" she asked, gesturing towards one of the coffee machines.

"Coffee, huh?" Azrael said. "Actually, I feel more like a bottle of pure orange juice" he said, with narrow eyes and a grin on his face. "Can you get it?"

"…I'll get someone else to get you that" Yuri answered.

"Forget it" Azrael told her. You just passed the orange test. I should've known better than to ask you."

"Orange test?" asked Yuri, worried.

"Forget it; it's a good thing you passed. Ask someone to get you a glass or bottle of juice. When they do so, you check it. Either it contains pulp or it doesn't."

"So, pulp equals a fail… or a pass?"

"That's not the point. No matter what, they always fail. But if they do as you did, they have a scapegoat to blame."

"So, it's a trick question then."

"Not quite, although some call it that. I'm surprised. You actually are quite intelligent. I wonder why the politicians stationed you at this dead end job. Don't tell me you actually enjoy it."

"No, not particularly" Yuri answered. "Please, excuse me" she said. She then walked over to a nearby vending machine in the corner of the room.

She's already loosened up quite a bit, Azrael thought, talking to himself in his head.

Yuri returned shortly after with a can in each hand and handed one of them to Azrael. "Thanks" she said.

"What for?" asked Azrael.

"You know, just for standing here and giving me someone to talk to. I was feeling out of place with all these kids around."

"Yeah, I could sense you were overdoing it a bit this morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just don't try so hard from now on. You may not be able to make these kids interested in history or politics but who cares? You won't be the first to try and fail. You won't be the last either.

"So… about this trial" Yuri said.

"Hearing" Azrael corrected her.

"Whatever" Yuri said impatiently, she took a large mouthful of drink from the can she was holding. After she had swallowed it, she spoke again. "What are you accused of?"

"Oh, this and that" Azrael said. "War crimes, you know. Excessive force, attempted genocide, firing on my own soldiers…"

"What?" Yuri said, apparently enraged. "What about treason, that's a crime too! Of course you opened fire on those traitors, what choice did you have?"

"And not to mention…" Azrael added "They're trying me as a civilian. If they gave me a court martial, I'd risk the death penalty but even so, I have friends in high places in the military. As a civilian, I've got nothing."

"What's going to happen to you?"

"Well, worst case scenario… I get life. "Oh joy; I spend the rest of my life in prison."

"I may be the only one, but I just want to say that I hope you can clear your name."

"So do I… there's a chance, right."

"Well, I suppose you can think positively, go in there smiling and show them some of that famous charismatic charm of yours. That could work."

"I hope you're right. And if you are, I can get my plans underway for a very comfortable future for myself."

"Oh, great. I hope that works out."

"Yeah, just me and a handful of my closest friends."

"Well… good luck with all that."

Azrael smiled. "Thanks, of course, you're invited to come and go as you please. In the future, you won't need this worthless job to make a living. I'll have my own private paradise, somewhere where no one can question me. I'll be on top. After all, I always win. Stick with me and you'll win too. We all need allies, right."

"Yeah, it's just that… this whole thing, it makes me so mad. Why is our government full of so many weak-minded fools? It's so stupid. How can they expect you to protect the enemy, the people with guns in their hands, pointing them at your head? We were at war, they were prepared to wipe us all out and you felt the same, right?"

Azrael agreed.

"Right, that's what I thought. Wiping out all traces of the threat was the best way to end the war. When things get to that point… to the way they were, as bad as they have been for the last ten years or so, diplomatic solutions are impossible. Everyone in power, all they can do is talk big but when it comes to taking action, nothing. You were the only one to deliver."

"And yet you were the first one to offer me any kind of praise. The rest of the world treats me as some kind of monster that needs to be locked away. I've done nothing wrong. If anything, I saved the world. I protected Earth from its greatest enemy; I should be a hero but instead… forget it. Life just isn't fair. There's always someone else to steal the glory. We'd better just accept that I suppose."

"It hardly seems fair, but…"

"Never mind, I'd better ready that charisma of mine. I have to prepare myself for that oh-so important hearing of mine."

"Good luck, I hope you win."

"Thanks, so do I" Azrael said. He turned and left the room, heading towards the House of Representatives. He put up the back of his hand to wave 'good-bye' just as he was leaving Yuri's line of sight.

Yuri couldn't help but worry about the fate of the blonde man; she couldn't shake the bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Something was wrong. She could feel it. This was not as simple as a disciplinary hearing. Something was wrong.

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts to the back of her mind as she walked to the middle of the room. "Ready everyone" she said, waving her arms to draw everybody's attention. "We will continue the tour now; gather 'round everyone. Gather 'round, we're about to leave this area and go upstairs. We may even be lucky enough to witness a debate."

**There you go, the first chapter. In the next chapter, Azrael defends himself. If you have any suggestions, just put it in a review.**

**Thanks,**

**Morbid333**


	2. Trial and Error

**Rock Bottom:**

**Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed, All Names, places and characters relating to Gundam Seed belong to Sunrise, All original names, places and characters belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** Here you all go, the second chapter is up and ready but before that, I want to thank SoA for your review. It brought me a memory of the first hour or so of Kingdom Hearts 2, I was going to have another chapter devoted to Azrael and then introduce Kira later, but I have changed my plans. I hope you like it, just let me know if you don't.

**Episode I: Sowing the Seeds of Crisis**

Cosmic Era 270: Outrage erupts within the Nations of the Atlantic Federation as news of secret human experiments being performed in underground laboratories rises to the surface… secret experiments that threaten to spark a rise in the once-endangered coordinator population and with it, the revival of old hatreds and the rebirth of genetic discrimination…

**Phase 02 – Trial and Error**

_Lunar Surface – Atlantic Federation Lunar Headquarters_

Walking the halls of the lunar base, Commander Hargthern couldn't help feeling excited about the launch of a new ship. This project had been running behind schedule and over budget since day one; but now, everything was about to pay off.

He was almost to the base's hanger when he was suddenly startled by a loud sound… someone had triggered the alarm.

"Warning, unrecognized spacecraft located in the vicinity" said a voice over the emergency intercom. "All hands to battle stations, Commander Hargthern, report to the Leviathan's bridge immediately!"

"Damn" Hargthern commented. Things were running so smoothly as little as a minute ago. Why now, of all times?

Hargthern quickened his pace and boarded the new prototype mobile-armament ship, the Leviathan.

He ran towards the Starboard elevator-platform so he could gain access to the bridge. On his way there, he passed by several crewmen, they looked like raw-recruits. He wondered why they had been posted to this ship.

As he was passing them, they saluted him. "Get out of my way, report to your stations!" he ordered them.

"Sir!" they answered, then scattered in different directions, heading toward different locations on the ship. Not stopping to see where the young soldiers were going, Hargthern stepped onto the elevator platform and pushed the lift-lever forward as far as it would go.

On the top floor of the ship, Hargthern ran strait toward the second elevator platform. As soon as he reached it, he activated it and a trap-door in the ceiling opened up and he was lifted up to the bridge above.

"There you are Commander" the captain greeted him.

"Spare me your pleasantries, captain, there's no time. Just tell me the situation" Hargthern responded, somewhat harshly.

"Very well" the captain answered. He was a patient man with kind eyes, perhaps too kind and patient. He seemed to be at least in his late thirties. We've already sent out a wave of search drones, they haven't reported back yet."

"Reported back? Just what _are_ these search drones?"

"Well, they are designed specially for reconnaissance tasks. They are programmed with the latest in artificial intelligence. The idea is for them to scout out any close-by enemies and report back with live video feed."

"Are they working well?"

"Well, that's the thing Commander. This is their first official test."

"Alright, it looks like we have two choices, either we wait…"

"No, we can not simply sit here unaware for any longer than necessary."

"Then we'd better send out a few of our pilots to scout the immediate area, who do we have on board?"

Before the captain could answer, an alarm sounded. This ceased momentarily, however things were going from bad, to worse. Lights were flickering and monitors were growing dimmer. Suddenly, the power went out completely…

* * *

Meanwhile, far away from this chaotic situation, a slightly more peaceful one was unfurling around the footsteps of one teenage boy. His footsteps were heavy and slow. His head hung limply on the pivot of his neck, his bangs hung down and his eyes were shut tight in a futile attempt to banish the dark thoughts from his mind, before they consumed him entirely.

The teenager, Kira was his name. He had carried a feeling of emptiness deep down in the pit of his soul recently, over the last month, things had been falling apart around his feet and he had been feeling worse than ever. It caused him to think of an old cliché about an ever-expanding empty void, a spiritual black hole that could never be filled.

He had been feeling worse than ever lately. This was bad enough but on top of that, no one had even noticed this change in him or if they had, they didn't care.

He cursed inside his head, inside the deep, dark depths of his mind, a swirling vortex of destructive thoughts, a barless prison of malevolent morbidity hidden behind a fleshy tomb of recessive personality traits.

Kira stopped walking and stood still where he was. He looked up and saw he was almost home, a five minute walk stood between him and solitude. He took in a deep breath of air and exhaled it all back out again.

A breeze picked up and blew against his face, a pleasant feeling for once. It died down soon enough, taking with it the kind of serenity that only nature can bring.

Kira was about to continue walking when he felt something hit him in the back of the leg. Two more flew past him and burst on the pavement in front of him – raw eggs. Kira looked behind him and silently groaned. His eyes rolled back in his head and his overall expression was one of anguish.

He turned back in the direction of the closest thing he had that he could call his 'place of sanctuary,' and ran. He ran as fast as he could, as fast as his body would allow. He was good at running away, it was the only physical activity he was good at but maybe that was only because he had gotten so much practice.

Stamina was not necessarily a strong point of his but he was close to home. There was a good chance of him making it to safety in one piece.

Closely behind him, chasing him to hell and back were various people. Hardly any of them (if any of them) knew Kira personally but lately they had pursued to make his life a living hell nonetheless. They chased him with such loathing, for no apparent reason.

"Yeah!" one of the pursuers with a clean shaven head said angrily "you'd better run you little faggot, If I catch you, you're gonna think like all of us, you're gonna wish you were never born!"

* * *

The blonde man strolled through the professionally formal, white, clean and brightly lit upper halls of United Earth Nations Headquarters as though he owned the place. An outsider would see him and think he were a multimillionaire, perhaps out for a Sunday walk around the perimeter of his spacious property.

In truth, this display of arrogance was a cover and it was working. Any enemy to see him today would cower at his poise. It was so effective and believable, even Azrael himself was eating it up.

With every step he took, Azrael drew ever closer to that all-important turning-point, the milestone, the beginning of the rest of his life. The outcome of this all important event would decide how he would live; in freedom or in chains. He would sleep in sheets of either pride or disgrace.

Part of him was nervous. Hell, part of him was afraid but that was a very small part of him, miniscule, practically nonexistent. Once again, Azrael's charisma was winning over in the hypothetical battle with his last dying doubts.

He was getting close to the House of Representatives. The entrance was now in sight. Azrael grinned at what he saw. In front of him, in the distance was a metal detector and standing guard beside it, were two high ranking officials of the Atlantic Federation, one of which just happened to be one of Azrael's oldest living friends, a man he had studied law with so long ago, after which they had both joined the military to spend their youth serving and protecting their homeland – Earth, from any attack by the monsters existing in her orbit.

"Well well" he said in way of a greeting "I haven't seen you in quite a while."

"Same here" the soldier – Azrael's friend replied. "Although I wish I could say this meeting was a pleasure."

"What ever do you mean by that?" Azrael asked innocently.

"You know damn well!" the soldier snapped.

"No, I don't."

"Did you not know that I once had two sons? They were both in the military, serving on the flagship in that last battle, the one you were on… why'd you have to do it, god dammit Azrael, why'd you have to kill both of my boys?!"

"Oh, now I see, well I am sorry about what happened and rest assured; you do have my forgiveness."

"What, You're forgiving me!?"

"Yes, you see, maybe if you were a better father, your children wouldn't have grown up to be traitors… so in a way, it really is _your_ fault."

"Oh, that's rich" the soldier said with his voice bursting with his growing rage.

"It is though, don't you see? If you were a better parent, maybe your kids wouldn't have turned on me and I wouldn't have had to kill them."

"They turned on you because… forget it, just forget it. Our friendship is officially over. I hope you fry, Azrael. I know that the death penalty is seen today as inhumane outside of the military but… scum like you deserve to be eradicated from the face of the planet! I really hope they throw you away Azrael, life in prison… and I hope you fucking rot, I hope you burn in Hell!"

"Oh my, you seem somewhat bitter. Perhaps I shall have to call upon you later on, when you are in a better mood."

"Fuck you Azrael; do you even know the meaning of the word remorse?!"

"Don't let 'em aggravate you" the other soldier said. "If there's a fight here, we're the ones that get our pay cut. Any acts of violence we may commit against civilians are frowned upon. " He turned his attention to Azrael. "Alright, give up any identification you may have on your person, any contraband, any lethal weapons, any metallic objects… toss them in the bucket" he said, producing a metallic container.

Azrael did so silently, reaching in his pocket; he pulled out his wallet, a set of keys and a 9mm handgun, which he placed into the bucket without a word. The soldier stepped away and gestured with his arm for Azrael to step through the metal detector.

Azrael stepped through the metallic arc and when no alarm sounded, the soldier escorted him to the House of Representatives.

Six flights of stairs later, Azrael found himself in an extravagantly-decorated lobby.

"There it is" the soldier said, pointing out a large Rimu door up ahead, framed by marble. "Just go right in there."

Azrael walked forward and went through the great door. Once inside, he saw a clerk sitting at a desk, typing. He either was oblivious to Azrael's presence or otherwise seemed to be ignoring him.

Azrael cleared his throat in an attempt to get the man's attention.

"Yes" said the clerk in a bored tone.

"Azrael" said the blonde man, stating his own name. "I'm here for my hearing."

"Ah, yes. We've been expecting you. Please, go ahead and wait outside the debating chamber. You will be called in when they are ready for you."

Azrael walked forward some more until he reached yet another door. This one was open and people could be seen on the other side. This was definitely the debating chamber and the sound of a discussion between politicians could be easily heard.

"…Look, they're here. We just have to deal with it. They're here, they're back, the public know all about it. Now, how are we to deal with it?"

"What happened last time? They left the planet to live in those colonies of theirs didn't they? Why don't we just drive them all away before we have another 'coordinator boom' littering our streets?"

"No, we have to show them tolerance, we need to get along, otherwise we might never have peace… besides, we seem to have gone off topic. Mister Chairman, we cannot decide on this situation. The old colonies and PLANTs are still in orbit, although few of them are intact. Should we send our mining ships to collect resources, or leave the debris alone out of respect for the dead?"

"We need your decision now, Mister Chairman. We need you to cast the deciding vote."

"Alright then, I vote in favor of said proposition… onto the next order of business, the hearing of ex-Chairman Azrael concerning his actions in the last war… is he out there…? Very well, send him in."

* * *

Kira raced inside and shut the door behind him. At last he was home and at least a little safer. Now there was a closed door between him and his pursuers, the ones that would do him harm for next to no reason at all.

"So…" sounded a voice from somewhere hidden, behind Kira, startling him. He turned around to see the owner of the house he was now in. he was a tall muscular man with broad shoulders, wide muscular arms littered with menacing tattoo art, blue eyes and a shaved head, completely free of the slightest trace of hair.

"I see your home then." The large muscular (and quite frankly, scary looking) man said in a gruff voice. "I wasn't expecting you for at least twenty minutes."

"Well… I had to run."

"Did you?"

"…I was chased."

Judging from the sounds coming from outside, his pursuers had finally caught up with him.

"Did you bring the milk?"

Kira froze in place as he remembered what this man had told him this morning.

"…no" he finally muttered.

"Well then, you know what that means" the man said, looking down at Kira in an intimidating fashion. "It means you get to go out and get some from the shop… and be quick about it. I don't have all day to waste."

"Out there!?" asked Kira.

"Hm?" asked the man "You have a problem with this?"

"n-no, it's just that…"

"Just what, what is it this time?"

Kira knew he should stop talking, not push the patience of the man before him but his anger had already taken over, only for a second but that was enough. "There's an angry mob out there, if you think I'm going out there…"

Before Kira could finish this sentence, he was met by the hard stroke of a hand to the face. He took a step back and held his hand to his face, to try and sooth the now tender area of skin. It would probably leave a bruise.

"Don't take that tone with me, you get out there and do what I tell you to do."

Kira sighed. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry what?"

"…sir."

"Good, was that so hard? Just show respect and get that milk." This is what the man said but it wasn't necessarily what he meant. He didn't care about the milk; this was just another chance for him to boss Kira around, to show his superiority, to play the role of parent.

He walked past Kira and opened the door. "There are some people here to see you boy. My my, they certainly look mad. If you want my advice, you'd better run. You'd better hurry to the store; you'd better run real fast."

Kira gave one last pleading look unto the man's smirking face before realizing it was futile. With another forsaking sigh, he gave up any kind of objection and sauntered outside to meet his fate."

"Why the long face?" the man said with a smirk. He retrieved a cigarette from his breast pocket, lit it and inhaled from the unfiltered stick. "Dead man walking" he joked, expelling tobacco smoke from his mouth and nose as he talked.

As soon as Kira had stepped down from the house's threshold, the man closed and locked the door behind him.

"Looks like 'daddy' really loves you, what with the protection he's showing you" one of the pursuers taunted. Looking at them, Kira noticed that what he had taken to be a large mob was really only a small group consisting of five boys from his class.

"You've got ten seconds to make a run for it" one of the boys said.

Kira swallowed hard before beginning his run toward the minimart on the corner six blocks away. With luck, he could make it there and hopefully loose his pursuers. The only problem would be getting back home again afterwards.

What Kira hadn't counted on, was that he would still be low on stamina. He was still a little tired from his running away from the pursuers just before and now he was running again.

Kira's heart was thrashing rapidly inside his chest. It felt like it a sledgehammer rebounding again and again off his lungs which seemed to be burning as though they were on fire. His ankles also were aching from the continuous movement and overuse as they impacted over and over again with the hard path beside the gravel road.

Kira gritted his teeth and pushed harder. He had to get away. He was determined not to let them catch him again. They always tried to attack him in groups rather than one on one. Kira was no fighter and knew he didn't stand a chance in a fight against five people who were all bigger than him.

He never fought back, if he did, the others would only hit him harder and chase him farther than they did now. If he was going to fight, he had to make sure he would win but for now, that was not a possibility.

The world before him seemed to slow down and the only sounds he could hear were his own loud breaths. His eyes were transfixed on his destination up ahead as he marked his progress. The distance to his goal, the gap was closing with each step. Then again, equally swift was the shortening of the gap spread between him and the ones following him with such angry resolve.

With his mind so full of things, Kira didn't notice anything out of place and was shocked when he fell. He tripped over some unknown thing on the ground, perhaps it was a crack of the path itself. Either way, he had no time to think about it, he had to hurry. As much as he would have liked to simply lie there on the ground and catch his breath, he knew those people would have to be right behind him by now.

The next few minutes of Kira's life were nothing more than a blur of pain as he felt the five angry youths repeatedly hitting him and kicking him while he was down. He knew there was nothing he could do, trying to get up would be an awfully bad mistake so he simply gritted his teeth and took the punishment.

All he could really do would be to close his eyes, tense his body and prey for numbness to wash over him and take him away from the pain.

Minutes passed before Kira realized the group had left him to lie on the pavement. He didn't know how long it had been, all he knew was that his body was sore all over. He lifted his head to look around him and saw a relatively deserted street, save one white convertible sports car.

Kira watched it as it drove past. As it was passing him by, the driver tossed something out in his direction. It was something white and cylindrical and as it hit Kira, a sticky orange liquid spilled out all over him, spilling into his hair. It was a paper cup from a popular fast food chain.

After the car had driven off, probably with an amused driver, Kira slowly sat up, then got up on his knees. He tried to get himself into a squatting position then rise up on his feet, standing strait. Unfortunately, being hit and kicked so many times had temporarily hampered his flexibility.

The growing ache in his knees stopped him moving the calf of each leg more than a few degrees either way. He needed something to pull himself up.

Just as he was pondering that one thought, his entire body tensed up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Kira didn't know who was walking up behind him but there was a good chance that this person would find a problem with him.

"Damn winos!" the person said in a female voice. She contained no anger at Kira, simply minor annoyance "…wait" she said quietly. "I know you, I've seen you around, you go to the local high school, right?"

Kira thought about this question. There was only one pre-school, one primary school and one secondary school in the entire city. Then again, quite a lot of people dropped out as soon as possible to get full-time low paying jobs. "Yeah" he answered.

"I thought so. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I was going to the shop to get milk" Kira explained.

"Milk?" the girl asked in a confused tone. "What happened, it looks like you fell asleep on the job or something… here, give me your hand" she said, offering to help Kira up. He accepted her help and then turned to face her.

The girl had shoulder-length blonde hair that seemed to frame her face nicely and complemented her amber eyes which seemed to hold quite some interest for Kira, his own eyes seemed to be transfixed upon them. It wasn't the merely the shape or colour but the view they could express.

Kira had once heard it told that the eyes were 'the gateway to the soul' and the 'window to someone's personality. This person's eyes were unlike any others. All people usually looked upon him with glaring eyes full of hate but this person…

"What is it?" she asked. Perhaps Kira had made her feel uncomfortable, he wasn't sure. He quickly looked away. "What?" she asked again.

"Nothing… it's just, I'm surprised you are actually talking to someone like me."

"Someone like you… what does that mean?" the girl asked.

"People generally don't take a liking to me, ever since I was fourteen; people started seeing me differently."

"Why?"

"Because… because I'm a coordinator."

"So?"

Kira looked back at the girl.

"Anyway, why were you on the ground before?"

"…I tripped."

"Right, what's your name?"

"Kira" he answered.

"I'm Cagalli" the girl said. "Are you alright to walk home by yourself?"

"I have to go the shop on the corner."

"Sorry, that shop closes early today."

Kira looked at his watch and his eyes widened. How long had he been on the ground? It had only seemed like five minutes or so.

"Is it an emergency?"

"What?"

"You can go without milk until tomorrow, right?"

"I was getting it for…"

"Who, your mother, your father?" asked Cagalli.

"…My father, I don't want to disappoint him."

"I'm sure he won't mind."

"Maybe…"

"So are you alright? Can you walk home, do you live close by, I could walk with you if you want."

"No, I'll be fine" Kira said with a false smile, although Cagalli seemed to believe it."

"Alright then, bye Kira" Cagalli said. "Maybe I'll see you tomorrow."

Kira nodded and waved as Cagalli walked past him and he turned around to head back towards home, he just hoped the man living there would be in a good mood or better yet, asleep.

* * *

"…and that's when Mister Azrael got impatient and decided to put an end to the fighting… permanently."

"Oh this is a joke" Azrael complained. "For god's sake, we were at war with them, what did you expect me to do?"

"That's no excuse for what you did!" the chairman retorted. "You can't use that as a cover, there is no excuse for destroying the homes of anyone."

"What are you saying? What about historical wars of the past? We've been bombarding enemy nations for centuries!"

"Mister Azrael!" the chairman said. "Are you quite finished?"

"Mister Chairman" the opposition barrister said "opposition rests its case; you have heard the evidence and should also know that I believe Mister Azrael knew full well what he was doing and he intentionally allowed his loathing of the enemy cloud his judgment."

"Very well" the chairman said in a professional manner. "Mister Azrael, you have heard the evidence standing against you. I just have one thing to ask of you. Are you remorseful about what you did?"

"Remorseful?" repeated Azrael.

"Yes" the chairman answered. "Are you sorry?"

"Am I sorry?"

"_I don't want any excuses" Azrael ordered his subordinates. He was so enraged he was beginning to twitch. "Just do as I tell you to do! Send out the nuclear strike force, send out the mobile suits, send out everything we have! Target the plants, wipe every last enemy of earth from the face of the universe, do it, do it now!"_

"_But sir, you can't just…"_

"_Shut up you coward!"_

"_Who's the real coward sir? You're the one using nukes."_

"_Shut up, slaughter the coordinators, slay the traitors, eliminate the threat to earth! Destroy those hourglasses, destroy that weapon, wipe earth's enemies out completely, kill them! Kill them all!"_

"Am I sorry? No, I'm not sorry for what I did. Why, simple, because I've done nothing to be ashamed of. I did you all a favor."

"Very well" the chairman said. "Because of the overwhelming evidence, it seems this is not a simple case of guilty or innocent, this is not a matter of what, it is a matter of why and I don't see any reason that this trial should go to public courtrooms, there is ample incriminating evidence to put you away for life right now. Would you like to make a plea of insanity? It may help your case but I doubt it."

"Me, insane?" asked Azrael with a laugh. "You don't get it, do you? I knew perfectly well what I was doing and if I have to, I'll do it again."

"Mister Azrael, you are not helping your case!" the chairman exclaimed.

"I don't have a case, you insignificant oaf! I never took this thing seriously from the beginning! Do you really think I care about your flawed excuse for a justice system? Hah! I've played your game and now I'm afraid I've grown rather bored of it."

He laughed before continuing. "Oh, did you think you had me cornered? So sorry to disappoint but I think I'll be taking my leave now."

"This is no game, Azrael!" the chairman said.

"Oh contraire, I'm going to walk out the front door now and you are going to let me, got it?"

"And why should we do that?"

"Just open the damn door, you don't wanna risk pissing me off, trust me on that" Azrael said, dropping his usual cool disposition in place for a more aggressive one.

"Try me" challenged the chairman, equally aggressive.

"Look, you don't spend half you life dealing with anti-coordinator terrorist groups without learning a few things." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a plastic remote control. "This is a remote detonator" he said, pointing it out.

"Nonsense" the chairman said doubtfully. "You'd never get such a device through the metal detector."

"No metal parts" Azrael explained.

"Are you planning on going anywhere with this bluff?"

"Rest assured, chairman. This is no bluff."

"Nonsense" the chairman said again. "You may not know this, but you have been on house arrest since the end of that infamous battle. A team of snipers and covert specialists has been assigned to watch over you all this time, partly as protection and partly as assurance that you did not get up to anything suspicious."

"Then you must know what I have been up to, using over-the-counter ingredients, I created a massive explosive device and installed it within my own house. Either I go free or my entire neighborhood tragically dies in a fiery explosion."

"Even if you are telling the truth, your future and more importantly, you persecution is a higher priority to us than the fate of a run down neighborhood."

"So sad… but if that is your decision, I guess it can't be helped." Without the slightest shadow of a hesitation, Azrael activated the detonator in his hand. "Oh my, what a tragedy" he said "but that was just to show you… I never bluff!"

Azrael wore a superior smirk as he said these words and immediately broke into hysterical laughter, mad psychotic laughter, verging on lunacy as he laughed at the pain of innocent civilians many miles away as they suffered their agonizing deaths at the hands of those brutal flames.

His laughter rung throughout the chamber as miles away, people were crying and children were screaming both from the torturous burns and from the sight of their mother's faces, blackened by ash as they were deformed and blistered, shedding their skin like snakes as their distorted corpses were caressed and licked by the murderous flames, their dried, dead flesh feeding the fire in the open furnace – the mass crematorium.


	3. Schoolyard Blitz

**Rock Bottom:**

**Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Gundam Seed, All Names, places and characters relating to Gundam Seed belong to Sunrise, All original names, places and characters belong to me.

**Author's Notes:** This chapter actually took longer than expected. I really did plan on making it a longer chapter and planned it all out for once but then I decided to keep writing small chapters so the original plan is going to be spread out over the course of the next four chapters or so.

**Phase 03 – Schoolyard Blitz**

The next morning, the sky was covered by a netting of grey cloud sheets. The time was six twenty eight and Kira's alarm clock was due to go off in two minutes time. Kira lay awake, resting on his side in his bed. His eyes were open and staring at the illuminated red LED digits telling the time on his digital alarm clock but not taking in the information they offered to share.

In his mind, he was miles away, trapped in thought. He couldn't keep himself from wondering what had happened to that man that owned the house Kira lived in, he simply couldn't bring himself to call that man 'father', just as that man refused to call him 'son.'

Kira's memory wandered back to the evening before, when he returned home to find the house empty and unlocked. Did the man leave for work or something? He hadn't said anything to Kira, not that he had been worried or anything like that, in fact he had actually wished for such a thing. Had his wish come true, was that possible?

Well, either way, it had been a pleasant evening nonetheless. Kira had managed to feed himself, shower and complete his homework by ten PM for once. He did everything for himself, possibly a daunting task for some but not for Kira; he was used to it after all. It was quite common practice in this house for Kira to do all the cooking and cleaning, all of the chores deemed as 'woman's work' by the master of intimidation.

Kira had secretly come up with names like that to refer to the owner of the household. That was how he referred to the man in his head although it should not be confused by anyone raiding the sanctity of his mind, he was not afraid of that man, not anymore, not for a long time, not since he was a scared little child.

The loud high-pitched distracting buzzing sound of the alarm clock on Kira's bed-side table put an abrupt end to any more thought. The long walk to school took up the better part of an hour, even longer if he took what people in the media often referred to as the 'scenic route.'

Simply put, this meant that he had roughly about half an hour to get ready. He always set his alarm so that he had exactly enough time to get ready. It may not be the most efficient way to do things but he usually arrived on time.

Kira slipped out from the sheets and blankets and neatly straitened them up, ready for that night. He walked to the other side of his room by his closet. Hanging from the handles of the closed door of his closet, were the various items of clothing that made up his school uniform.

Within a few minutes, Kira had dressed in his uniform and had arrived in the kitchen. In the corner of the kitchen was a microwave with a built in clock. Glancing at it, Kira saw that he still had time for a quick breakfast. He opened up a nearby bread bag and dropped a slice of bread into the toaster. While that was cooking, he took a small water bottle from the fridge and placed it on the table. Also on the table, he noticed a fruit bowl containing several shiny red apples.

He took an apple and the water bottle, walked over to his schoolbag and carefully placed them inside the bag, in a side pocket, giving them a compartment all of their own. While he was there, he checked over the contents of the bag to make sure the homework he had completed the night before was still there. After hearing the toast pop up, Kira walked back into the kitchen and poured himself something to drink before beginning consumption of the basic meal.

* * *

Kira slowly walked strait ahead taking small absentminded steps toward the school. Despite taking the scenic route and walking at a slow pace, Kira noticed that he still had some time before his classes actually began. With both hands stuffed inside his pockets, he slowly made his way toward the classroom. He thought that even if it wasn't time to go in, maybe the teacher was in and if so, the door would be unlocked. Even if it wasn't, there would certainly be a place to sit in the shade and wait for the rest of the class to show up one by one. With a little luck, they would leave him be and give him the gift of peace after so much harassment.

The last two years had been hell and Kira couldn't wait to get away but for now, he had no idea what life, the big unfair bitch named destiny, held in store for him. He told himself that education was a ticket out of this town. He planned to move far away and start again, just as soon as he got some money and for that to happen, he needed to stay at school unlike the ever increasingly-countless numbers of teenage dropouts mooching off the country's already-unstable economy.

"Well well, looks like he's already here" said a cruel voice. Kira was just a few steps away from the classroom. If he stopped where he was, he'd be in clear sight of anyone walking by. He turned around to see who was behind him and his spirit sank upon his recognition of the voice's origin.

"What do you want with me now, haven't you done enough already?" Kira asked. "Please, I just want to pass and finish school. After graduation, you're never gonna see me again."

"Graduation, that's two years away isn't it?" the other student said with arrogance evident in his voice and showing on his face. This was heightened by the tinted glasses and non-regulation open shirt he wore over his uniform. "Hey, get over here!" he called out to someone and Kira sensed the presence of another.

Through peripheral vision, Kira saw a head of long red hair walk past him. The red-headed girl walked forward until she stood beside the blonde whom had called her over. She turned and faced Kira with an expression similar to the one worn by her blonde friend... or were they more than friends now? Kira usually opted to stay out of the affairs of others so he wouldn't really know.

."Hey Fllay, guess what?"

"What?" the girl with the red hair asked.

"This guy here thinks we should be nice to him for the next two years until graduation and then we'll never see him again. What do you think?"

.

"I think two years is a long time" the girl answered.

"My thoughts exactly" the blonde said. "Sorry, you heard the lady" he joked "I'd love to help ya, seriously, I would but I'd hate for Fllay to miss out on her primary source of pleasure... all work and no play, you know."

"Yeah, sure" Kira said, responding in kind to the sarcasm.

Kira was just about to turn away when he heard someone calling out. "Hey!" the voice called out. It was soon followed by the loud footsteps of someone running on the concrete surface of the Quad. The girl Kira had met the day before came closer and closer into view and soon enough, Kira found himself staring wide eyed into the bright face of a smiling Cagalli. After seeing the look of surprise on Kira's face, Cagalli's smile soon faded. "What is it?" she asked, concerned that something was wrong.

"The red-headed girl simply glared at the new blonde and her abrupt, uninvited intrusion."Who invited you?" she said coldly, hoping to push the blonde away like a leach before she grew too attached.

"Oh yeah, that's real friendly" Cagalli said sarcastically "People who draw pleasure from the inner torment they cause others are usually just looking for another victim to blame their own insecurities on."

"Who asked you anyway?" Fllay said.

"So what are you doing here?" one blonde asked the other, he asked the question with curiosity.

"Oh," Cagalli answered "I'm with him" she said while nodding in Kira's direction.

"So you're a coordinator?" Fllay asked.

"What difference does _that_ make?"

"If it makes no difference, than you can answer the question, am I right?" asked Fllay's blonde friend.

"Actually, I was born naturally, if you must know" Cagalli answered.

"Then why do you choose to hang around with _him_?" Fllay asked, rudely pointing a finger in Kira's face "or didn't you know" she smirked "He _is_ a coordinator."

"Like I said before, what difference does it make, who cares; I don't. I don't get involved in politics. I judge people by what they say and how they act, rather than by what they can or can't do. Sure, Kira may have been born differently from me and hell, maybe he really is different but guess what, I really don't give a shit because I know that despite all this, he has a far better character than ten of you put together" Cagalli said, looking strait into Fllay's eyes as she talked.

"Those who choose to befriend the coordinators are no better than the coordinators themselves."

"And that attitude of yours is exactly why... never mind"

Fllay simply wrapped here arms around the arm of the blonde standing beside her. "Come on Sai, Let's go somewhere else. The door won't be open for a while yet, right?"

"…Door?" Sai asked absentmindedly.

"The classroom door."

"Oh... yeah, right" Sai said as though he were coming out of a daze. The pair walked away, leaving Kira and Cagalli alone.

"So... why didn't you introduce me to your friends, am I not good enough for them or something?" Cagalli joked to Kira, talking as though she were insulted.

"Those aren't people I consider friends" Kira answered.

"Yeah, well I'm not surprised" Cagalli said "You heard her, right?'Those who choose to befriend coordinators are just as bad as the coordinators themselves.' I always figured Coordinators had it easier with their superior abilities but with people like that seeing you as unnatural... then again, I guess you guys all look down on us as well."

"...I wouldn't know, although I was born a coordinator... I have yet to meet another, All my life, I've known and been surrounded only by naturals."

"Oh, I didn't realize... but what about your parents?"

"They were both naturals... at least my mother was. I never even saw a picture of my father. Now I live with the man that adopted me."

"Where's your mother, or is she...?"

"She was involved in a fatal car accident... apparently, a car full of drunken teens was driving over the speed limit and they crossed over the center line. It was a head-on collision. My mother's car was quite old and lacked many of today's safety features. Both drivers were killed but the teenage passengers of the other car survived with minor injuries."

"Kira... I'm sorry"

"It's all right."

Cagalli looked over her shoulder in the direction the other two people that had walked away, Sai and Fllay. "What about those two people that were talking to you, who are they?"

"No one... people just seem to dislike me in general."

"Because they refuse to accept you" Cagalli commented.

"Yeah... the whole situation worsened about two years ago, the year of my fourteenth birthday."

"Why?"

"I am one of the last coordinators to be brought into this world legally, before the technology was illegalized by international law. Two years ago, word got out about secret experiments resulting in the product of coordinators."

"I never heard about that."

"It was just a rumor... although a lot of people began believing in it and began hating coordinators again."

"They're so close-minded and intolerant... I hate people like that."

"I'm actually kind of surprised that you're talking to me."

"Why, is that really so surprising?"

"No one else has ever really taken this much time to talk to me..."

Cagalli looked at him sideways. "It's only been a few minutes."

"It only takes seconds for an egging."

"Right... well, don't worry, everything's gonna get better."

"Is it?"

"Trust me... if it doesn't, I don't know, we'll think of something."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, let's make it a bet, it'll be fun... but not for money, we can think of something better. Have a think about it." Cagalli walked over to the nearest brick wall and sat on the bench-like seat and rested with her back against the rough uneven wall. "Sit down, I want to rest for a while" she said to Kira, who did as was suggested. "So did you see the news last night?"

"No."

"...There was some kind of attack."

Kira turned to look at the blonde girl sitting beside him and noticed her eyes were narrow, perhaps from anger. "Where?" he asked her.

"I don't know exactly... but I think it was nearby, they say it was the work of some terrorist, they didn't even give an explination. People lost their lives in the explosion, families lost their homes and children lost their parents. It took out every neighborhood in a six mile radius of the epicenter. What must that person have been thinking, how could they do that... I _hate_ people like that, they spread terror and pain to the whole world and for what?"

"I don't know" was all Kira could say. The next few minutes passed in silence which was soon broken by footsteps. Both of the two teens looked to see the approaching person and realized it was one of the school's teachers.

"And just what are you two slackers up to?" Kira and Cagalli looked toward each other, then returned their glances to the teacher "Well?" she asked again when neither of the two students answered her.

"We're not slackers... we are just-" Kira tried to explain before realizing it was a mistake.

"Don't you answer back at _me!_" the teacher fumed.

"I... I wasn't, we are just waiting for the morning classes to begin" Kira tried to explain but the teacher wasn't listening.

"And may I ask why the two of you are not in the assembly hall? Just what do you think gives you the right to skip this morning's full school assembly?"

"Wait" Cagalli said to the teacher in an attempt to defend both herself and Kira. "We didn't know there was an assembly."

"Yeah, sure, I wonder then, why did the rest of the school manage to get to the hall on time? ...Well, maybe you _are_ telling me the truth, after all the two of you don't really appear to be exceptionally bright" the teacher said, adding an insult to the end of the opinionated observation "Then you'd better hurry up and get to the school hall before you miss the entire assembly."

"Right" Kira agreed. He stood to his feet and walked away from the building into the direction of the assembly hall. Cagalli followed directly behind him.

"And you two had better actually go!" the teacher called out after them. She was sick of these spoiled bratty teenagers and their 'I don't need an education' attitudes. It had occurred to her many times that she may have chosen the wrong career path but it was too late now, she was too old to change now.

Kira and Cagalli walked side-by-side toward the hall. Kira stuffed his hands in his pockets in an act of boredom. They walked past several identical brick buildings in the seemingly abandoned school. A gentle breeze picked up only to make the whole scene seem that much more like a ghost town but in all honest opinion, Kira liked it, it was so peaceful. "Don't you just hate the way this school is run?" Cagalli asked him.

"What, what do you mean?"

"You know, the faculty, the administration, all of it. It's all so disorganized." Kira nodded in agreement. "I mean, how were we supposed to know about any kind of assembly today? Did _you_ hear anything about it?"

"No" Kira answered her honestly.

"You see, that's exactly what I mean. How everyone else found out about it is a complete mystery to me." Kira thought about the truth in what Cagalli was telling him and found he could only side with her point of view in mutual agreement.

He had never really thought about it but now she mentioned it, this school really did have some major problems. It was the only local high school in the entire city, yet its roll of students managed to keep under the five hundred mark. There was no way in hell that could be a good sign.

They reached the hall to find the main entrance closed. "Hey, how late _are_ we?" Cagalli asked.

"I... I don't know" Kira answered. Cagalli reached out for the door but just as she did so, it suddenly opened and in the new opening stood another teacher, this one male. He was tall, slim and had short, tidy hair. He met the pair with an icy gaze. "Why hello there" he said, talking like an intimidating count opening the front door to his big cold castle-like home. "I must say, it is indeed very nice of you to join us at last, Mister Yamato." This unfortunately happened to be Kira's home teacher. "I see you have acquired yourself a guest whom shares your apparent interest in tardiness and truancy. As I say, it is an honor for you to finally bless us with your presence, very marvelous indeed... you're late!" he added coldly.

"God... what a wanker" Cagalli muttered under her breath, causing Kira to smirk slightly at the humorous comment at his most loathed teacher's expense.

"Excuse me, hmm, what was that?" the teacher asked. Cagalli knew perfectly well that the teacher had heard her but she knew better than to repeat what she had just said. She fought back the urge to call him a deaf-eared twit (along with several other verbal abuses) and instead assured him that she was merely talking to herself. "Very well then, the two of you had better go in quietly and find yourselves a seat somewhere in the back of the hall before you miss all of the important announcements."

The teacher allowed the two students to walk past him and go through the miniature lobby-like room and sneak into the Hall, hopefully unnoticed by the principle and teachers on the stage giving out their announcements for the barely interested student body to hear, then dismiss as unimportant gibberish.

They walked sideways, keeping their backs up against the back wall and walking silently like an assassin in an old ninja movie until they found two empty seats together in the back row. From way back there, Kira found it was hard to see and hear what the teachers on the stage were saying but at least the seats were empty, that at least was something. The two quickly sat in the seats, surrounded by strangers, the usual group of slackers, moochers and future homeless hobos that frequently took it upon themselves to take up all the seats in the rows farthest from the front and provide the educators with an ample supply distractions and annoyances.

"Who was that guy, do you know?" Cagalli asked Kira.

"He's a teacher."

"Oh, shit... you're not unlucky enough to be in any of his classes, are you?"

"Yeah, he takes my home class as well as teaching Math."

"Oh, man... I feel sorry for you..."

"You know... you really shouldn't have said that to him" Kira said, referring to the insult Cagalli had casually and semi-audibly tossed in the teacher's direction.

"What...? Oh, right... that. Forget about it, but it's true, right? You agree with me don't you?"

Kira only smiled.

"So, is he married, do you know?"

"Divorced... I think."

"Heh" Cagalli laughed "I'm not surprised, I mean who could stand to live with him? So what's his story, anyway? I mean, did he..." but Cagalli stopped in mid-sentence, distracted by what was going on in the front of the hall, up on the stage. The principle was obviously addressing the entire school. Sitting in the back row made paying attention a little difficult to say the least but something was clear, the principle was definitely troubled by some unknown predicament.

"...and I'm sure you all realize what that means, but anyway... I am very aware about what happened concerning the terrorist attack that appeared on the news last night. I know that many of you have been talking about it but rest assured, it does not dramatically affect you however, there may be some slight changes because of this. You no doubt realize that there were of course some survivors from the attack. Sure, the explosion resulted in many deaths, but there were also many survivors who are now homeless. These refugees are looking for homes, for places to stay and it seems our local council has decided to accept them here. So, if you have room at home for some stranger to move in and mooch off your parents, come by the office and give us your name. Also, there were quite a large number of survivors between the ages of fourteen and seventeen. These people will from now on be attending classes with all of you. Don't ask me when, it won't be today and it won't be tomorrow. The date hasn't been set but I can tell you that it will be soon.

" The principal paced the edges of the stage before concluding the speech. "That is all; you may now go to your second period classes." With that, the principle climbed down the steps descending from the stage and exited the hall from one of the side-exits.

What soon followed was similar to a stampede of elephants as all students tried to get through the exits all at the same time. Once the majority of them had cleared out, Kira stood to his feet and calmly walked towards the nearest exit. Outside, there was loud murmuring as the students talked amongst themselves about who the new 'refugee students' would be. (What would they be like?) Kira found himself wondering the same sort of questions inside his own head. He was soon distracted by a familiar voice that he had heard a lot of that morning. He turned around and saw Cagalli running to catch up with him. "Kira, where do you want to meet for morning break and lunch?"

"Meet?"

"Yeah, I thought you might wanna meet somewhere?"

"Don't you usually have friends that you hang out with?" Kira asked, felling slightly uncomfortable in using the term 'hang out.'

"Well, no. Not really... I mean sure, sometimes I spend the break time with some of the people in some of my classes, but I don't know if they really consider me friends."

"Why not?" asked Kira

"Well to be honest, they're kind of close minded and keep asking me where I go and who I keep 'ditching them' for."

"Where do you go?"

"Well, actually... you sure you wanna know?"

"Yeah" Kira nodded.

"My stepmom has a stall in the local market" Cagalli said "and I usually go there to help her out... but today she said she doesn't need me until about four this afternoon… So do ya wanna meet by that tree in the quad? You know the one I mean, right?"

"Uh, yeah" Kira answered after some thought.

"Yeah, to what?" asked Cagalli, she wondered whether Kira was answering yes that he would meet her, or simply saying yes that he knew where she wanted to meet.

"Okay, I'll see you then" Cagalli said before walking off in a different direction, most probably in the direction of her next class. Kira just stood there, watching the girl walk away from him. He couldn't stop the thoughts racing in his mind like karts speeding around a racing track. All his life he had been told that he would be hated by everyone because he was a coordinator, almost as if it were his own fault but now, all because of one open minded person... had he done the seemingly impossible, had he actually made a friend?

He watched her leave as step by step, she slowly moved out of sight and taking with her, the peace of mind she had brought him. Kira felt the peaceful happiness leave him, only to be replaced by the menacing feeling of being watched. He turned around and sure enough, standing there behind him was his home teacher. "It's second period" he said menacingly.

"Yes" Kira replied "I know."

"Then you'd better hurry up and get your dumb ass up in my classroom, go on" the teacher ordered. Kira could do nothing; he followed his teacher's instruction and headed for the direction of the man's classroom. He just felt sad that Cagalli shared none of his own classes. Then again, he wasn't even sure if she was in the same year-level as he was... he would have to ask her when he saw her next. Either way, he knew he couldn't think about that now.

He hurried along to the third floor of the H block, where he would sit for the better part of the next hour solving numerical equation after equation... how fun, he thought to himself sarcastically. The questions were not that hard... merely boring but still, Mathematics was a compulsory subject. He hurried off to the H block building before he was marked as 'late.' The last thing Kira wanted to do was give his teachers more reason to look at him negatively. They already disliked him enough as it was, unlucky for him... humorous for his classmates.

Kira soon arrived in front of the correct building and quickly ascended flights of stairs leading to the third floor. Hopefully, with the students' minds distracted by the news of refugees, the pending class would be a somewhat easy one. He took a deep breath, blew it out through his mouth and began to climb the stairs to the classrooms above.

* * *

**As you may or may not have figured out, some of that came out of real life (the beginning with the preparing for school thing, for example, the uniform hung over the door, making the toast and the apple+water lunch combo.) Well, it wasn't as long as I would have hoped, but at least it was up before Christmas. I'd like to promise that the next one will be up by New Year, if so, it will be quite a short chapter but don't be disappointed if it takes longer. I've planned it out, but the plot is 'full of holes' so to speak. There isn't really much there to go on unless I merge it with the chapter after that**

**Signed:**

**Morbid333**


	4. No Man's Land

**Rock Bottom  
Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed

**Author's Notes:** This took a little longer than expected and finished sooner in the story than was originally planned... oh well, I still have no life so will keep writing but I may start working on another story, I haven't decided yet. It could be any of them.

**Phase 04: No Man's Land**

"Sir, all areas of the ship are now functioning correctly. The power generators are running at full capacity and the engine's status has returned to normal." One of the Crewmen on the Leviathan's bridge reported.

"Good" replied the captain. "Do we know the cause of the interference?"

"Uhh... No."

"I see" the captain said, deep in thought. "So no one has any idea, not one of us can come up with a theory?"

"Sir?" asked Hargthern, requesting permission to speak.

"Yes, what is it?" the captain ordered impatiently. "Do you have something to say?"

"Sir, I've been thinking, could this interference possibly be the result of a hostile terrorist act?"

"Terrorism, do you really think _that_ is what is causing this?"

"It is possible, sir" Hargthern said in defense of his theory. "They could have stolen or salvaged old equipment and commandeered a ship for their own use... there was a report of a terrorist attack on the planet's surface."

"And you think that maybe it could be connected..." the captain said, putting two and two together and summarizing Hargthern's theory.

"Yes sir that is what I think may have happened?"

"Are you sure, Hargthern? Are you willing to stake your life on that assumption?"

"It _is_ just a theory, sir."

"Than I suggest that those of us without the testosterone to back up our own reasoning keep their extraordinarily big mouth's shut and their extremely large noses out of the way of those of us that do."

Hargthern ignored the Captain's crude words and had no chance of a retort of any kind because of a distraction caused by the ship's own electrical equipment. The monitors and lights began flickering once more and the only sound emitted was that of brain-mulching ultra-high-pitched radio signals and deafening static.

Abruptly and without warning, the ear-bleeding inducing racket ceased to be replaced by a daunting, desolate dead silence that, in a way; was far worse than the ear-splitting din that had preceded it. Hargthern felt sure that the deafening silence screaming in his ear would soon be the end of his sanity.

Fortunately, the silence too, came to an end. A voice spoke through the bridge's radio system. It was distorted and hard to understand through the interference but its objective was clear. This was a hostile voice with a hostile purpose to commit a grossly hostile act.

"Attention, Atlantic Federation Archangel-class warship... We hereby issue to you a warning. It is advisable that you re-transmit this message to the lunar headquarters" said the voice. "We are now commandeering the Earth's moon which is as of this moment; the location of our newest of many headquarter-building zones. We realize that this may be hard for you to hear... but you are now within the bounds of our territory. Despite the serious nature of this crime; we have decided to be lenient. You have as long as thirty earth rotations to abandon and dismantle the Lunar Headquarters before we bombard it to rubble and ash. We sincerely advise that you cooperate. If not; the casualties _will_ be _immeasurable._ That is our reasonable request; we _will_ contact you again, until then..."

The transmission ended in silence and the Ships monitors and other instruments momentarily returned to their usual functionality. "So, captain" Hargthern said, somewhat smugly "Are you still prepared to rule out the 'terrorism theory' so easily?"

"Alright Hargthern" the captain said. "Since it was _your_ idea, you can be the one to investigate. Take one of the prototype mobile weapons and find out where that transmission came from."

"Why _me_?!" replied Hargthern, questioning an order from the ship's Captain.

"You are considered a hero, are you not? Did you not pilot a mobile suit in the last war? You were made out to be very brave, skilled and successful by the way _I_ heard it. That is why you were put under my command."

"Very well Captain" Hargthern said. He saluted, turned on his heels and walked out toward the hanger. He passed through empty hall after empty hall. All crewmembers were at battle stations so it couldn't really be helped that the halls would be empty but still, these halls seemed so cold and lifeless. It was a violent contrast from the _last_ warship he had been stationed on; with its hectic crew. The formal but lifeless hallways seemed like an Antarctic whiteout with the walls and ceiling being the same monotonous colour, 'Earth Forces White.' Sure, it was formal and all but where was the heart?

Hargthern found himself comparing the halls of this ship to those of a demoralizing mental health institution. Eventually, the white darkened and turned to grey. He was finally in the hanger. He noticed a few mechanics working on a titanic machine. When he approached them, they instantly stood at attention. "At ease" he said to them "I need to take out one of these machines... orders from the Captain."

"Yes sir... We have this one all ready for you" one of the mechanics informed him as he waved his hand in the direction of the large machine. It was grey, roughly the shape of a fighter-plane and contained several heavy weapon emplacements, including two missile battery's, three heavy gun barrels and a twin-barreled laser cannon.

"A Mobile Armor, huh?" Hargthern commented. "I haven't flown one of these in a while."

"Is... something wrong?"

"I thought this ship was supposed to be equipped with our new Mobile Suits?"

"Yes sir, they _are_ here but this is the only machine that is ready. We have loaded the ammunition and configured the software. We were getting it all ready for its first test flight."

"Well then, I guess that makes me a guinea pig pilot... very well." Hargthern said before climbing into the cockpit and firing up the engine. The Mechanics performed their final pre-launch checks and directed the craft to the launch bay. He only had a couple of minutes to wait until the hatch opened and he was given the all clear to launch by the ship's CIC operator. It wasn't until that moment that Hargthern noticed that he hadn't taken the time to learn the names of the Leviathan's crew... he figured that a large number of introductions would be in order once he returned.

"Alright... I'm launching now, I guess" he said into the radio.

"Yeah, go ahead" replied the operator. "Report anything you find."

"Will do" Hargthern replied before pushing the thruster all the way forward and launching through the open hanger-bay hatch.

Hargthern instantly felt his stomach rush back behind his spine as the one-man heavy artillery fighter craft explosively accelerated like a silver bullet shot from a metallic death-giving instrument of war. Once he had burst forward like a slingshot, Hargthern pulled back on the vehicle's steering column and the vehicle's nose rose up. Hargthern began his long search for anything that may appear out of the ordinary.

After so much time had passed - Hargthern had lost count of the minutes (or possibly hours) he had no idea how long he had been searching but space flight could do that to a pilot and after all this time, he still retained radio silence, he still had found nothing worth reporting. He was just about to request permission to return to the ship when something caught his eye. He increased his speed and began heading strait for the unidentified object.

He tuned into the correct frequency on the radio and established a communication link with the Leviathan. Soon enough, the captain's face appeared on a small video panel on the right hand side of the cockpit. "What is it, have you found something? The captain asked through the two-way video communication link.

"I don't know exactly what it is... I'm gonna take a closer look." Hargthern replied thoughtfully.

"Could it be some kind of security satellite?" he asked, questioning himself more than the captain.

"A satellite, out here?" the captain asked in response "What could it possibly be orbiting? There's only rubble out here, right?"

"So intelligence says."

"All right, go check it out" the captain ordered.

"Right..." Hargthern answered before realizing something; the amount of static over the radio was rising, it was far more than usual. "Hey, I'm getting a lot of interference out here, are you getting this?" he asked and waited for a response, he got no such satisfaction. It seemed that all contact had been lost, the video link was gone as well. The communications had somehow been severed. "Damn!" he exclaimed.

Toggling switches in the cockpit of his machine, Hargthern activated his offensive and defensive systems. He locked his target designator onto the strange satellite-like object and indulged in some destructive bombardment action.

He ran down a checklist of tested and untested weapon systems and his eye was drawn to a word at the bottom of the 'untested' list.

'Experimental hexabeam DRAGOON system'

Grinning, Hargthern activated the system and heard a 'humming' noise as around the front and rear of his fighter; six heavy beam-emitter cannons emerged. Hargthern flipped another switch and an illuminated sign reading 'detach' flashed on.

The six cannons separated from the frame of the mobile-armor and positioned themselves around his target as remote gun barrels.

Hargthern's smile widened as he activated the remote trigger. With these new support-operating systems, anyone in their right mind could use something as complicated as a DRAGOON system. All Hargthern had to do was input the position of the target and his desired layout of support artillery laser fire and the onboard CPU did the rest.

The remote guns blasted right through the satellite, destroying it in mere seconds. Hargthern could only laugh arrogantly at the brute forcefulness and firepower that he had in his possession. "You had it coming, damn terrorists!" he said at the top of his voice like an excitable child at the fair.

Hargthern flipped the 'DRAGOON detachment' switch back and his remote gun barrels returned to the Mobile Armor frame and Hargthern tried the radio again. "Leviathan, this is Commander Hargthern, Can you hear me? Am I getting through?" He asked through the radio, he tried two more times and was met each time with only silence, although the sound of the static was fading to a more regular level.

After a while, the sound of the Leviathan's captain's voice filled Hargthern's cockpit. "Hargthern, Tell me what the hell just happened! Why did we loose contact with you?"

Hargthern breathed a sigh of relief before answering. "Sir, I think we've located the origin of that electrical interference that had been plaguing us. Don't worry sir, I've destroyed the satellite and am now conducting a thorough search of the immediate area... but sir, I gotta hand it to our engineers and everyone involved in our latest artillery project. This weapon is just so powerful, I mean take this DRAGOON system for example."

"DRAGOON?" the captain asked.

Hargthern replied only with an impressed whistle. "This system has to be even better than the one ZAFT used against us in that last war. Give my regards to our boys back on the moon, will ya."

"You can do that yourself, Hargthern. Those terrorists or whoever the hell they think they are sure as hell aren't gonna succeed with this crackpot plan of theirs."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Captain. Anyone stupid enough to assault the moon head on deserves their fate... oh, shit!"

"What is it?"

"Some kind of enemy, I don't know."

"What is it" the captain repeated "the terrorist ship?"

"No, I think... I think it's a mobile suit."

"What, is it one of ours?"

"No, it almost looks like... _Christ_, it's _ancient_!"

"What do you mean?"

"It looks like one those old GINNs from the first BVW."

"The first war, are you sure? That technology is over a hundred years old."

"Well, I've only seen pictures of them in books... but I'm sure of it."

"Then it should be easy to take out, given your advanced firepower. Be careful however, we don't know how many there are."

"Yeah yeah, I got it" Hargthern said. He pushed his thruster forward and locked on his target designator to the enemy unit. "This is gonna be fun" he said, flying into range and launching a few missiles at the unsuspecting GINN. He followed this up with a few shots from his laser cannon, which completely tore apart the enemy mobile suit and granting its pilot a fiery grave. He flew toward the enemy's position and spotted three more outdated machines. Shooting these down would be an easy task, if they did not now know his location. "Oh well, where's the fun in an easy battle anyway?" he asked himself with a battle-hardened grin plastered all over his face, the grin of one that held a deep love for the ancient art of battle.

Hargthern tightened his hand around the steering column and dodged the attacks of the enemy mobile suits. Despite the significantly outdated hardware of the machines, they had obviously been upgraded with new operating systems and beam rifles. He could tell by the way they moved. He used the six remote laser barrels as cannons, firing them with his main cannon. The eight-barreled heavy beam cannon blasted right through the nearest mobile suit, no doubt frying the pilot inside.

"Two down" Hargthern stated "but there's gotta be more than that." Sure enough, two more mobile suits came speeding strait toward him with weapons firing.

Hargthern sent out his DRAGOONs again to intercept the closest mobile suit while he manually targeted the other, firing at it with both available missile batteries. Both enemy units were explosively and simultaneously dealt with.

Hargthern continued his search, expecting to find some kind of stolen carrier or battleship but what he saw... it was more than enough to make even him speechless... although that didn't last for too long. "Leviathan, come in Leviathan!"

"What is it" replied the captain.

"I've found their base!"

"Where is it, what is it?"

"Your _not_ gonna believe this... it's not a _ship_ at all."

"Then what is it?"

"It's the _PLANTs_!"

"_What_, that doesn't make sense, Hargthern!"

"I know, but its true, I swear to fucking god, it's the PLANTs, those _bastards_ got them up und running… rebuilt!"

"A-all right, return to the ship, we... we _have_ to report this" the captain said.

On the Leviathan's bridge, panic was flowing like electricity between every crewman and officer. "Keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, we can't relax until the Commander is back safely on board this ship!" the captain ordered.

"And then what?" asked one of the crewmen. "Just because Commander Hargthern is back on board, that doesn't necessarily mean we can call ourselves safe, I mean it's not like we can say 'hey, he's back! Let's head down to earth and have a picnic!' We _are_ still in danger!"

"I _know_!" the captain answered back, evidently having lost his cool "but at least _then_ we can start to move out..."

Before the captain could say anything else; he was interrupted by Hargthern, whose voice was still speaking through the bridge's intercom so all bridge-hands could hear him. "Oh, shit" Hargthern commented. They're sending out more GINNs, they must know I'm here."

"Captain, four more mobile suits have entered the battle, more could be on the way!" one of the crewmen advised in a rushed and worried manner.

"Hargthern, get the hell _out_ of there, fight back if you must but I want 'making a hasty withdrawal' to be your _top_ priority, the leviathan is retreating ASAP!" the captain shouted, giving his order.

"All righty then" replied Hargthern, before putting an end to the radio communication.

Electrical interference once more clouded the Leviathan and now its crew members could do little more than wait...

* * *

"PLANTS, are you serious?!" asked a voice on the other end of the radio communication link. The commander had managed to escape the battle with a damaged mobile armor and the pride of knowing he had taken down five GINNs, although he modestly admitted that this was mostly due to them being laughably out of date, and thus easy to destroy.

"Commander Hargthern!" one of the ship's crew members said as he ran up to admire the legendary veteran.

"Ah, yes?" Hargthern asked in response. He couldn't understand why everyone was coming up to see him. In all honesty, he hadn't even really done all that much.

"You were amazing out there in that battle!" the young crew member said, his voice oozing the excitement of an awestruck fan asking his hero for the honor of his signature, an autograph dripping with value for sentimental reasons only.

"Well, that's what people keep telling me" he answered, this was beginning to get embarrassing."

"Did you _really_ shoot the enemy down with DRAGOONs?"

"Well, yeah... I did but now days, that's not really saying much, is it? I mean with today's support-operating systems, anyone can do things that once upon a time seemed impossible. If you're looking for a war hero to worship, you should look up Commander La Flaga from the first war we had against the PLANTs, he was a real pilot; he could use the DRAGOON system without all these fancy computers doing all the work."

As those two continued their conversation on war heroes, the captain continued his report and was in a three-way conversation with both Admiral Gorthorpe and mister Sallerman, the officer in charge of the lunar base and the president of the Atlantic Federation.

"So it was the coordinators who were behind the terrorist attack on Earth!" concluded Sallerman "We must show them no mercy, we must show them that this kind of action will not be tolerated."

"With all due respect, Mister President; I truly doubt that the Coordinators are behind this, I suspect that their technology may have been salvaged by some unknown terrorist organization" replied the Leviathan's captain.

"Oh, you do, do you, and where is your proof?"

"Well, sir, I have no physical evidence to back up my theory but still, if the coordinators had somehow made a full recovery and were now building up their population..."

"Which they have" interrupted Sallerman.

"And if they had returned to space and rebuilt the PLANTs..."

"Which they have" Sallerman once again interrupted.

"I think that a military strike would be the last thing on their minds, they would more likely want to live in secrecy and in peace."

"You think so..." the president laughed "Your logic is all wrong, captain. You can't seriously expect them to think like us, can you? This was an act of vengeance, they have sworn a genocidal vendetta upon the earth in retaliation for what we have done in the past... our only hope is to finish the job and destroy them completely, thank you for your report captain." President then closed his end of the communication before a reaction was possible.

"Uhh, can you believe him?" the captain asked into the radio, the captain's attitude reminded him of the Azrael family.

"Captain, we are all part of his military and _he_ is our president, you may report to me but I must report to him. Neither of us has the right to criticize his judgment nor his decisions."

"Yes, you are right sir, I apologize for my disrespect."

"Right, now as for you and your crew, you are to put this incident behind you for now and continue on with your mission."

"But sir, what about the threat to the Lunar Headquarters?" asked the captain, how could he be expected to just ignore something this important and threatening?

"Do not concern yourself, if anyone attacks us, we _will_ fight back. Continue on your mission, captain. Dismissed" the admiral said, closing his end of the communication.

Sighing, the captain did the same and using the ship's intercom, called for all hands to assemble in the hanger bay; he had something important to tell them all.

* * *

Leaning with her back to the wall, Yuri sipped the luke-warm coffee from the paper cup she held in her hand. Watching the youthful tour group, she somehow felt like a school teacher.

She had serious doubts as to whether any of these children actually cared or even _wanted_ to know anything about the historical significance of the building they were in.

This building in which they all stood was like the political headquarters of the world, which was now and forever would be, under the jurisdiction of the Atlantic Federation.

All nations on the Earth had been brought together under the alliance. Two centuries of on-and-off conflict with ZAFT had brought them all together and united them against their nemesis, the greatest living threat to Earth's survival.

"Alright everyone..." Yuri began; she considered calling them children but decided against it in case anyone pointed out the fact that they were no longer a child.

After waiting for everyone to gather around her and receiving no such response, Yuri repeated, increasing the volume of her voice. "Everyone, gather around me, we have to get going."

Eventually, slowly and one-by-one, the students crept closer to their tour guide until they were finally grouped together in one massive swarm.

"Okay, let us continue" Yuri said to the group. "Does anyone know how this building and all that it represents came to be, does anyone know how the Earth Alliance came into place?"

Looking around at the blank faces, Yuri breathed out an exasperated sigh. "Alright then, I'll tell you a little something about it. Because of the Alliance, there has been no major conflict between the nations of Earth... although some may argue that this is due to the fact that we have been fighting our enemy in space all this time."

"Enemy in space, isn't that a little harsh?" one of the students asked.

"Perhaps, or perhaps not; it really all depends on your point of view and how you were brought up. Some families despise change while others embrace it with their hearts on full display, worn on their overly stretched out sleeves."

Yuri waited for some kind of response before continuing. "Now, every last nation on Earth has agreed to settle its disputes diplomatically here, in the debating chambers of the United Earth Nations, or the UEN as it is commonly abbreviated. As such, this also means every nation on Earth is a member of the Earth Alliance."

"All of them?" another student asked.

"Yes, that's right, all of them. There were, however; two troublesome independent nations; these were the kingdom of Scandinavia and the Orb Union but as you can see by looking at any modern map of the world, these two nations are no longer a problem. For their hostility and persistence, neither nation now exists and their land has been colonized by the alliance, with the Atlantic federation taking over the land once belonging to Orb while the newly reformed Eurasian Federation now claims the once-Nordic land.

Yuri drained the liquid from her paper cup and tossed it into the nearest rubbish bin. "Follow me everyone, tour groups aren't normally allowed into the house of representatives but just this once, I'll see if I can get in. Who knows, we might even be lucky enough to see a real debate."

"So what?!" asked a student standing in the back. He stood out with his short hair, stubby figure and bored expression that said he 'really didn't want to be there' "What's so great about a debate? I don't want to see something that boring!"

"You've never _seen_ a politician in a heated argument, have you?" Yuri asked the boy. "Although I'm sure you'd rather see a 'redneck truck rally' or a couple of greased-up brain-dead muscle heads in their underwear, grappling and groping at each other. What do you call it again, oh yes, World Entertainment Wrestling."

"Hell _yeah_!" replied the boy. "That'd be _way_ better than _this_ gay crap."

"Quite, you're an evident heterosexual if ever I did see one" Yuri answered.

"Wha...?" the ignorant boy asked.

"That means you're strait" a nearby student whispered into the boy's ear.

"Oh, right. I _knew_ that" the ignorant boy said, showing off his pop-culturesque idiocy - evidence of the westernization of the world. The stupid boy had clearly missed the tour guide's sarcasm entirely.

"Follow me" Yuri said to the group as she led them to an elevator that would take them to the upper floors on their way to the HOR - the House of Representatives.

She pushed the button for the elevator and the shimmering silver doors slid open. Yuri stepped aside and allowed the tour group entry first. "I hope we can all _fit_ in here" she mumbled under her breath, her doubts went unnoticed among the bright faces of the youths, most of whom seemed happy to be doing anything outside the classroom.

After the last person had stepped over the groove in the floor for the sliding doors to glide in through, Yuri herself stepped into the elevator, which was cramped yet reminiscent of the smell of a polished museum, with the exception of the mixed stenches of youthful undeoderised body odor. Yuri ignored this smell and reached over to push the button to go up.

It was quite a stretch but she managed to reach the correct button. The doors closed and the elevator jerked into life.

After a decompression-like sensation, another violent jerk followed and the doors finally opened and Yuri was able to breathe once more. The smell in there had been bad; like a sickly infant and its elderly caregiver had each just discovered the cure for the common constipation ailment and cleansed their bowels in triumph.

Despite the cramped and unpleasant conditions of the elevator, Yuri had more than one reason to loath the slow-moving device designed with laziness in mind.

Suffering from Claustrophobia as a young child, Yuri had almost forgotten how much she hated lifts, normally she always took the stairs when travelling between floors, no matter how high or low she needed to climb.

She placed her hand over her forehead and felt the dampness of sweat. After she had been away from that bouncing prison for a brief while, she noticed that her breathing was somewhat heavier than usual. No one else had noticed... had they?

Yuri took a minute to recompose herself before turning to the group and instructing them to follow her.

As she walked, Yuri began feeling a little better although her clothes seemed to cling to her through the now-cool and damp perspiration that had leaked from the pores in her skin. She felt drowsy and sticky as though she had been stuck in an unconditioned, unventilated room on a stuffy, hot summer's day. She ran her hands through her long scarlet hair in an attempt to flatten it before leading her group farther towards their goal.

"Hey" an unfamiliar voice called out, instantly seizing Yuri's attention in a non-threatening way. Upon looking around, she saw it was a security guard whom had called out to her. "I haven't seen you around here before, who are you, the new tour guide?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Yuri.

"That doesn't matter, what I want to know is... what is a _guide_ doing up here?"

"Oh, I'm..."

"If this is an excuse, make it a _good_ one" the guard warned.

"I'm just giving a tour."

"Giving a tour... my my, how original. Look, just how _stupid_ do you think I _am_, huh?"

"Stupid?" Yuri asked, unsure of what this seemingly paranoid security officer was talking about and unsure of where exactly his hostility was coming from.

"I know damn well that you aren't supposed to be up here, get back down where you _belong_!"

"What's going on?" asked a young female voice that came from somewhere close behind Yuri.

"There's been a change of plan" the guard sneered. "It seems that Miss _Miniskirt_ here got her facts wrong, tour groups aren't even _allowed_ up here... so now, you all have to go back down from where you came from."

"But..."

"But what?" the guard aggressively interrupted with hostility pouring from his mouth by the bucket-load.

"...nothing" Yuri finally said after a long pause. "But, this uniform... it's standard issue, I have to wear it."

"Is that so?" the guard said with a tone that lacked interest "but what about your smart mouth, is that standard issue as well?"

"Yuri's eyes widened in surprise at the remark; _she_ certainly never thought of herself as having a smart mouth, if anything; she accused herself of not speaking-out enough, a trait that allowed others to see her as a doormat, rather than the solid wooden door itself.

"Maybe that smart mouth of yours could be put to better use."

Infuriated, Yuri could think of no response.

"Our _last_ tour guide knew her place, she knew that she was on the very bottom of the food chain, then again; she wasn't quite so young as you are... tell ya what, I'm feeling good right now so I'll let you all go back down to where you all should be, I won't even tell anyone I saw you... if you make it worth my while, that is."

"You _do_ know" Yuri said in furious response "blackmail _can_ work both ways, if you don't let us past, I can quite easily report you to your superior for sexual harassment." The inside of Yuri's head was like a furnace spitting molten red fury but now she knew triumph, she had won the guards childish little game... but the annoying little bastard simply refused to give in, he was actually laughing, he was actually enjoying winding the 'new girl' up.

"Go ahead" the guard said "Who do you think the guys on top are gonna believe? _Me_, the heroic security guard risking his life everyday; or _you_, the ditsy tour guide... on top of that, its only your first day and you probably don't even have any references, who'd believe a lying good-for-nothing bitch like you? You may have been the hot shit on top of the toilet seat back in high school but this is the real world, out here..." the guard turned away and put his hand up to his ear, evidently to use some kind of in-ear communication device. "Shit!" he said loudly before running off in the direction of the main debating chamber.

Yuri took yet another long moment to compose herself once more from her latest harassment - that damn prick of a security guard. "...Alright" she finally said, putting on a 'happy face' "So who wants to go and see the debating chamber?" she asked everyone."

"But... that man..." one of the students said, she clearly didn't want to get in any trouble for doing something wrong.

"Oh, forget about him" Yuri answered. "Who knows, judging by what that man said, I may well be searching for new employment by tomorrow morning but before I go... I really want to see the chamber. what about your friends and families, don't you want to tell them you saw a bunch of politicians squabbling like young children fighting over a jelly bean; or would you rather tell them you were to afraid of getting caught so you waited in the cafeteria? Either way, it's your call."

With that, the red-haired tour guide turned around and led the students to that forbidden nest of curiosity.

* * *

"...And this is the House of Representatives" Yuri explained to the students. "This is where the representatives of each Earth Nation come to work and negotiate."

Although Yuri had never actually been here before; she was certain that the security shouldn't be quite this slack. Even though this worked to her advantage, it could not possibly be a good omen.

Soon enough, the group eventually arrived to the closed door of the debating chamber. "Why's the _door_ closed?" someone asked.

"I don't know" Yuri answered. Was this normal, she didn't know; after all, she had never actually been up here before and thus, she had remained completely unaware of what exactly went on and just how things were done.

To tell the truth, she was actually a little intimidated by her surroundings.

"We're not supposed to be up here, _are_ we?" Yuri was asked by a student.

"Not technically" Yuri answered "but don't worry though... just wait over there." The students did as they were instructed and assembled in three rows beside the large walnut double-door, out of sight and out of the way.

While the students were patiently waiting, Yuri approached the door. She touched the smooth wooden surface of the leftmost of the two-panel double door, running her hand down until it came to rest on one of the two brass door handles.

She took a deep breath and held it in as uncertainty suddenly crossed through every section of her mind. She was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole situation.

Truthfully, Yuri had been lying to the group of students this whole time, as strange as that sounded. To be honest, she didn't come all the way up here simply because she wanted to see it for herself, nor did she come here for the students' benefit.

Yuri let out the air from her lungs in the form of a sigh. In reality, the only reason she really had for going up there was to find the outcome of Azrael's hearing.

Her hand tightened around the door handle and slowly, silently, the brass handle rotated. Yuri pulled the door open, only a crack. It was just enough, she couldn't really see but she could hear by listening quietly... she hoped that no one would notice her and so far, no one had.

Yuri eventually forgot all about the students assembled off to the side, out of the way. She was far to preoccupied with what was unfurling in front of her on the other side of the walnut doors.

Over time, she was beginning to get more and more worried; not for her own safety but rather for the outcome of the Hearing. It was by no means going well for Azrael but what could Yuri do to help?

Her doubts were washing over her, threatening to drown her in a sea of her own worthlessness. It had gotten to the point where she was about to give up, turn around and leave.

All she really wanted to do was help Azrael out but in the end; she had tragically failed like a conceited short-haired clean-shaven English-speaking missionary sent to inform a so-called 'savage' cannibalistic tribe that they must change their sinful life and do things the 'right' god-abiding Christian way.

Yuri was past giving up; she had already done so when she suddenly felt refreshed by a wave of resolve. Not caring for the consequences of her actions for once, she threw the doors open and bathed in the surprised reactions of every person in the room.

The interior of the chamber was like a meeting of grave seriousness. Only one face bore any expression other than a frown. Only one blond defendant stood there with the nerve to smile.

Yuri's eyes seemed transfixed upon those of Azrael, his face twisting into the sign of a sadistic scheme. His smile was not that of an innocent friendly acquaintance; it was more like the mad mischievous smirk of villainous treachery.

Quick to react and before anyone else could so much as move, Azrael leapt toward Yuri and with his arm around her neck, he spun and positioned himself behind her. He tightened his grip around her soft throat and widened his murderous grin as Yuri raised herself from one level of psychological horror to another. Inside her skull, her mind was running laps and would loose in a speed test to no one except perhaps the incessant beating of her heart.

Out of all possible scenario's that Yuri considered might happen, this was not one of them, she thought she could trust the blond man, she never thought he would resort to this... especially with _her_. Needless to say, she hadn't expected this.

In her ear, Yuri heard a sound that was much less than soothing. Azrael let out a low maniacal laugh that grew in volume and intensity; it was a sound that did no less than disturb Yuri to no end.

"This is your new tour guide, isn't she?" Azrael said to the chairman. "Of course she is…" he said without awaiting an answer to his own question "I know it to be the truth. I've actually had the pleasure of getting to know her personally, it was earlier today, actually... isn't that right?" he asked the red-haired girl.

"Ah, y-yes, that's... that's right."

Azrael smirked once more. "See?" he taunted everyone in the room like an immature child. "She admits it... and now, if you don't do what I say..."

"What, what will you do?" the chairman asked.

At this, Azrael could only laugh. "What will I do, what do you think? Do you really need to ask that?" he asked scornfully. "If you don't give me what I ask for, I kill the tour guide.

This time, it was the chairman's turn to laugh, the others joined in on the joke.

"What's so funny?" Azrael asked impatiently.

"Do you really think we care about the life of a petty tour guide?" the chairman asked. "We are the UEN - the United Earth Nations, we will not bargain for her life; no matter whatever you were to demand, we would be getting ripped off and besides; on principal, we outright refuse to negotiate with terrorists so why would we make an exception for the likes of her?"

"I see... I apologize Yuri... but your fate is decided." Azrael murmured softly into the young tour guide's ear. "And all of you" he exclaimed wildly, addressing every politician in the room "you will all soon have a surplus of time in which you can lament your words... but for now, say 'goodbye' to your shortest ever acting tour guide!"

As he spoke these words, his vice-like grip tightened around Yuri's throat as though he were about to crush it like a nutshell. That is when it all became serious, the waves of reality washed over her on this hellish beach of bleak realization... she was going to die. This man whom she thought she could trust was about to bring an unjust end to her short little life.

She felt a gas bubble of fear swelling up inside of her, starting from her stomach that was so churned she felt sure that at that moment she could drink cream and vomit it back up as butter. The pure anxiousness and terror were emanating from her mind and soul, threatening to drive her insane. This was the end of her life... she was going to fucking die!

What followed was beyond her control, even though she was the one doing it. It was as if she could no longer be contained within her own body and the anxiety she held within had taken all the room and kicked her out like a mooching friend of the past.

This was not controllable, it was not containable, it was automatic. Forget willing or unwilling... this was a necessity, a primal urge...

Yuri's mouth opened and out of it, her vocal chords struck together as if an untalented child her mashing keys on an antique piano. Out from which, emanated a loud blood-curdling scream that seemed nowhere close to ending. From this point on, Yuri had lost all sane consciousness. Her eyes were closed tight and to her, it seemed like the entire world had ceased spinning. She had no idea what was going on anymore, her mind and soul had escaped her body entirely and were miles away.

All hope was lost... the end had come today... she would soon face final judgment. All that was missing was the personified reaper but if even if he were to appear before her, Yuri's blackened eyes would not see him, she would have to face her hostage-induced murder alone... she would die...

She was still screaming and she would not stop until her voice gave out, she could not do so, not even to save her own life.

She would die...

She would face her fate...

She would fucking die...


	5. Alienated by Mine Peers

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sewn Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed, All names, places and characters related to Mobile Suit Gundam Seed belong to Sunrise

**Author's Notes:** This chapter has been a long time coming, I could have had it done sooner, but I got sidetracked and also, I got writers block more than once. Apparently, my subconscious was working against me on this one.

I've been playing 'Knights of the old Republic' and 'Dawn of War' and also, I recently found a website hosting the full 'Elfen Lied' manga translated in English. If you've never heard of it, I strongly suggest you look it up, especially if you like stories such as 'Rock Bottom' and the other great stories in this subgenre. (Reading online isn't the best way but there's no other way for me, short of buying from someone overseas on websites like ebay to gain access to good manga, or any manga, actually, If there are local shops near me that sell manga, I haven't found any. There's one shop that sells general Anime but nothing for the manga, oh well.)

Okay, enough of my usual rambling and spamming, on another note, I'd like to thank everyone for taking an interest in this story. Thank you for your reviews and the like, because of you, This has quickly become the most popular story I have posted, although I personally think the original 'Rock Bottom' will turn out better.

Some of you have asked when Lacus is going to make an appearance… The truth is, I don't actually know but it will likely be the chapter after the next one.

**Phase 05 – Alienated by mine peers**

The time was three-fifteen; it had taken so long for this hour to come, almost forever. It had seemed to take a lifetime for the minute hand on the clock to reach the 'three o'clock' position, although in reality it had only really been fifteen minutes.

The school day just seemed to drag on and on when the weather was hot. As a result, the last period of the day was always the longest and none of the students could stay awake, there was no way for them to pay attention.

Even Kira found that he was unable to retain focus. Of course, it didn't help that the teacher's drone went on and on and on with no sign of either stopping or changing even the slightest amount in pitch.

On the contrary, the lacklustre educator seemed to steadily grow duller and duller as time progressed, it was as though he gained some kind of misguided pleasure from sending his students away to a much more vibrant land of dreams.

At last, the bell finally rang, indicating the end of class. It had taken so long to arrive but at long last, school was over for the day and Kira discovered the relief flowing through him like the free waters in a natural spring.

It wasn't as though Kira disliked school, it wasn't anything like that, he just hated the idea of being shut in a classroom on a hot day with people who simply put, despised his existence.

This fact alone was not enough to cause Kira anxiousness, however. He had gone through hell at such a young age that he had been easily desensitised to anything that _these_ simple-minded schoolboy amateurs could think to put him through.

These pitiful would-be tormentors actually believed that they could invoke fear within Kira. They were fooling themselves with their over-hyped bullying abilities.

Kira would never say it out loud and perhaps he'd never admit it to himself either but with everything that he had gone through since birth… so much had happened and still he returned to the public school to learn with the ones that seemed to hate him so much.

He'd never admit it even to himself but considering all that he'd endured in his life so far, it all made him that much stronger and morally higher than those whom considered him lower than the most waterlogged sod at the very bottom of the murkiest of all the Earth's swampland.

Kira's mind wanderings came to an end with the sound of chair legs scraping against concrete floor. Kira wondered why this classroom in particular had not been refurbished with new carpets with the rest of the school two years ago.

The sound of scraping subsided and was replaced by the sound of twenty or so people carelessly shoving books into their bags. This din orchestra then concluded their performance with the sound of twenty students standing and pushing their chairs back in under their desk.

The disorganised heard of cows then proceeded to file out of the classroom. Kira followed them out of the class, four or five steps behind the last person.

The disorganised heard of cows then proceeded to file out of the classroom. Kira followed them out of the class, four or five steps behind the last person.

"Always the tail, huh Yamato?" the teacher asked.

"Ah, excuse me?" Kira asked politely, trying desperately not to give the teacher an excuse to punish him for foul conduct or some such violation of the classroom rules that were law to this man.

"You're the tail, always and the end. You always seem to be last."

"Oh" Kira answered, realising what the teacher meant and also realising it to be true, although he had never noticed it before.

The teacher laughed at his student. "I just realised… you are the wart on the backside of this disorderly buffalo I call a class" he said, dismissing the lilac eyed brunette from his sight.

Kira stretched out his arms, legs and back as soon as he got outside. The sun's rays radiated through the fabric of his uniform and warmed his skin like a transparent blanket.

Being outside felt so good compared to that stuffy classroom, the fresh air awakened him from his spell of drowsiness like an angelic chorus.

He decided to head for the main gate of the School grounds.

"_Meet me here when school finishes, okay?"_

Kira hurried to that spot where he and Cagalli had agreed to meet after school. He didn't want to make her have to wait for him. He briskly walked past the various students who seemed to be wandering aimlessly, killing time until their public transport arrived.

The brunette weaved in and out between each and every person that refused to move aside and let him pass. He got past each one of them and walked through the driveway and found a place in the shade to wait.

Minutes passed and Kira saw no sign of the friend who asked to meet him here. He began wondering what had happened to her – it shouldn't take this long to walk from the classrooms to the front entrance, maybe she had gone somewhere else.

He searched the many faces of the crowd ad they walked toward him, perhaps wondering why the brown haired idiot was standing in their way, staring at them in the vein of a hopeless prisoner on death-row who stares at the stone tiles in the wall outside his cell as he waits for his impending execution.

Kira decided to go back and take a look before giving up and heading home. He walked back onto the school's property to search for Cagalli. He walked around the classrooms and the quad, as well as checking around both gyms and all three fields.

Kira had checked more or less the entire school before deciding to give up and go home. He supposed that he could ask what happed to Cagalli when he saw her next, it was no big deal.

He was almost halfway back to his spot when he heard loud footsteps like the sound of someone sprinting on concrete. He craned his neck in all directions to seek out the proprietor of this business of distraction and disembodied noise – but continued walking when he saw no sign of people running or walking.

He seemed to be the lone, last soul on the premises. He considered going home just as a thought struck through his brain, impaling its way through all other thoughts as violently as a pitchfork wielded by an Amish farmer checking a hay bail for evil demonic horrors from hell.

Could Kira and Cagalli have passed by each other? Maybe they had without noticing, it Iwas/I possible. Could Cagalli have been waiting for him all this time while he was searching for her?

As he approached his waiting spot just outside the school entrance, he realized that his hope had been in vain, not one person could be seen within a twenty metre radius of the vicinity, not one single living soul to be found.

Kira let out a sigh and decided to walk home. The master of the household was not due home until four thirty… Kira figured he should have some time alone until _he_ came home to spoil everything.

"Hey, Kira!" said a voice in the distance – Cagalli's voice. Kira turned in the direction of the call and began walking towards it, to meet the blonde girl.

"Kira, wait. Didn't you hear me calling" the blonde asked. "Where were you, I thought you must have gone home or something."

"Oh, sorry" Kira answered after the two had come face to face "I was waiting here for you but you never showed up so I went to see where you were… I actually thought you'd gone home."

Cagalli smiled at the boy's explanation and Kira narrowed his eyes slightly at what he took as a possible ridicule and was about to ask what she meant by it when something in the distance caught his eye.

A pair that Kira did not particularly enjoy seeing seemed to be glaring strait at him, Fllay and Sai. "Sorry I took so long, I was having a quick word with your friends over there" Cagalli said.

"Really, what did they have to say" Kira asked.

"Not too much that concerned you; they just wanted to know me."

"…and why you are wasting your time with me" Kira said, finishing the girl's sentence.

"Well, yeah actually" Cagalli replied.

"So what did you tell them?"

"I just told them that you seemed like a nice guy and they must be foolish not to think so." The blonde girl looked behind her to see the pair she had been talking about had walked away. "Can we talk about this while we walk?" she asked.

"Yeah, sure" Kira responded, gesturing for his friend to walk ahead of him. "So where are we going?" he asked her.

"I told you before, didn't I?" Cagalli replied, although she carried no sign of impatience or hostility in the tone of her voice. "Remember, I told you that I had to be at the town market at four. You can tag along if you want, you don't have anywhere to be, right?"

"No… I have nowhere I have to go" Kira replied.

"Alright then" Cagalli said with a smile "Do you wanna help?"

"Yeah, alright" the boy answered.

"Okay, just follow me, I'll show you where to go" Cagalli said, leading the way.

Kira followed closely behind the blonde girl, as she led him down the roadside path directly to the town centre. The brisk afternoon walk was a silent one. This made for a significant difference.

Kira thought back to the events of that day and realised that in all the time he had spent in the company of Cagalli, she had always done all the talking. Now however, she was silent.

This walk was different; it was as though something was bothering the blonde. It was as if something were eating away at the lining of Cagalli's stomach, causing her to decay from the inside out.

She had clearly been talking with those two… Fllay and Sai, could they have said something to her, what was it, was it about him?

Kira increased the pace of his walk so that he was in line with Cagalli. He turned his head to the right so he could get a look at her face. He tried to study her expression.

Judging by her face, Cagalli seemed to be deep in solemn contemplation. It was unlikely that she was even aware of her current surroundings; her legs were on autopilot, taking her where she needed to be.

Kira was about to open his mouth to say something but then stopped, realising he had no idea what he was about to say. He closed his mouth just as the girl's blond head snapped towards him.

"Kira… there's something I should tell you but it's kind of awkward."

"What?" the brunette asked softly "is it about… me?"

"Uhh, yeah, actually" the girl answered.

"Oh" Kira replied. He had been expecting this. "Is that what you were talking to Sai about?"

"What?" Cagalli asked, it took her a short while to realise the exact conversation that Kira must have been referring to. "Oh, no" she said, trying to reassure the brown-haired boy.

"Then what were you talking to them about?" Kira asked.

"Oh, well actually, you did come up."

"I thought so."

"Didn't I already tell you about this?" Cagalli asked as she attempted to recall the past events and conversations that had occurred within the last twenty four hours. "Maybe I didn't" the blonde compromised, giving in to the possibility that she had imagined explaining the subject to Kira.

"So what did you talk about?" asked Kira.

"They just wanted to know why I've been hanging around you for the past day. It's nothing, really."

"Oh, so what did you tell them?"

"I just said that you seemed like a nice guy to befriend, there's nothing wrong with that is there?"

"Well, actually there is" Kira interjected. Cagalli clenched her facial muscles at the bizarre remark. "Someone like you… I don't know what your reputation is, but I'm sure you want to keep it and if being seen in public with me compromises that…"

"Kira, what the hell are you talking about?" Cagalli asked.

"People are asking you why you associate with someone like me, if you don't want to be seen with me, I'll understand why, it's not a problem. Just say so now."

"Come on Kira" Cagalli said with a grin plastered over her face "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to insult me. You don't really think I'm that shallow, do you?"

"What?" Kira asked.

"Who cares what other people think, those who fuss over the social activities of others obviously have no lives of their own. Forget them. Those bigots just have a little too much time on their hands."

"Is that really how you feel about everyone?"

"No" Cagalli replied "Not everyone, just the nosey types. You know the ones who read gossip magazines and peek over the fence into the neighbour's yard, people that listen in on others conversations and busy themselves with the other's lives."

"That actually makes sense" Kira agreed.

"Sure it does" Cagalli said "those kind of people need cosmetic surgery to reduce the size of the protrusion on the front of their face and then show off their new look by getting a damn life."

Cagalli stopped walking and looked to the surrounding area. She studied the nearest street sign. They were already halfway there and she still hadn't told Kira…

What was the big deal, would he really be that offended, after all he was a coordinator living in a pro-natural world. So many people had probably already turned their backs on him.

Everyone was probably talking about him behind his back; everyone most likely loathed his existence and questioned why someone like him even deserves the gift of life.

Everyone hated him so what was one more person… Cagalli hated the thoughts that were crossing through her mind. God, she sounded like a bigot.

She was beginning to sound just like one of those people that try to relate to an outsider, try to comfort them by treating them differently, separating them from the others and consequently, isolating them and eventually hurting, insulting and offending them more than anyone else ever could.

"Cagalli?" said Kira, trying to get the blonde girl's attention and snap her out of the daydream she seemed to be in.

'Huh, what?" the girl asked, finally realising that Kira was waiting on her.

"Well, which way do we go; you've just been standing there for a while now" Kira explained to her.

"Have I" she replied, too preoccupied with her own inner thoughts, she didn't bother to point out that Kira's observation was like telling a mirror to be reflective. She already knew that she must have been standing there for a while now, although she didn't know how long she had been standing at the kerb of the road.

Before them was a four way intersection in the road that directly resembled a cross. It was the kind of road that got moderate traffic during peak working hours.

At that moment in time, there were few drivers travelling through this area. The two friends were in a residential area so maybe that explained it.

The surrounding houses all seemed to be of equal value, designed for the average nuclear family, two parents, two kids, a steady income that was not too great but also not bad, just your average family, a not-quite-yet middle aged couple trying to balance raising children and fitting in to their place in the social mainstream of ideas and behaviour with building up their nonexistent social status.

There was a social stigma in the world, excelling in anything was a terrible crime. The most lacklustre person alive would think they are just so great, they married and had kids, they had a steady job earning more than ten thousand but much less than one hundred thousand a year in legal, respectable wages.

Father was of an average height with an unmuscular slim body and less-than-genius intellect, a short tidy unstyled haircut and a clean-shaved face. He always paid his taxes and bills on time, went to sleep on time and always arrived early at his workplace; the finance office for 'Kiddie-safe Software Inc.'

This was the kind of man whom did what his government told him to and believed

the biased propaganda they called the evening news. When asked for his opinion, he simply recited the views of a politician – one of his many guardian devils.

In all instances, this man would do society as a whole expected of him - no more, no less – and frowned upon, in burning loathful judgement, anyone with an… alternative lifestyle.

Mother Blogs, the witless spouse of this awful poser of a locomotive of a man… she too was very law-abiding and lived a life every detail as tiresome and pointless as her worthless bitch of a husband. Her mornings were chock full of mundane, scheduled tasks such as housework and phone calls to family members.

The Blogs family existed in every single residence in this neighbourhood, inside every Corporal Familyman and Martha Nolife dwelt the spirit of a Blogs.

"Cagalli" Kira said once more "you never answered me, which way are we going… you're still in front, right?"

"Huh, don't you know where to go?" asked Cagalli "Its just the town market, its always held in the same place, on the same days each week."

"So where is it held?"

"Your kidding, you mean you've really never been to the market?" Cagalli asked in disbelief.

"No, never" Kira answered "I usually prefer to stay away from large crowds, I

Sometimes go for long quiet walks but I always make it a habit to stay away from large social gatherings."

"Oh, yeah" Cagalli said "I guess big loud places with lots of people… I guess That's not really your thing, huh?"

"Not really, when people gather in one place to have fun, my face isn't exactly the first thing they want to see."

"Yeah, I guess not, I've noticed you're not the most popular guy in the world… anyway, we can get to the street market by turning and going this way" the blonde girl said, gesturing with her arm and pointing it to her right. "Then we just keep going strait until you see the road blocked off. Right after that there is a car park and then beyond that…"

"Is that where we have to go?"

"Yeah, let's go."

The two teenagers then walked quickly in the direction Cagalli had pointed out, after turning the corner they proceeded to walk strait until they saw the area of blocked off road.

It was just as Cagalli had described it. There was an area blocked off with cars, vans and even light trucks parked in no organised order, willy-nilly all over the place.

Beyond that, there was a mess of people everywhere. Distributed evenly throughout the vicinity, there were various vendors selling differing merchandise to passers-by from their set-up stalls.

Kira noticed that Cagalli had gone beck to the way she was before during their walk, she had once more become very quiet.

He wanted to ask her why she had all of a sudden become quiet, when he had been with her earlier that day, she hadn't been like this; she had been very talkative.

"There she is" Cagalli said with little to no emotion in her voice, she was talking like a machine, as though she were dreading this more than anything else in the world.

Her pace seemed to slow as she continued her death-walk towards her stepmothers stall.

Despite the fact that the older woman behind the long collapsible table was not a blood relation to Cagalli, Kira felt sure that he could see a little resemblance.

The top of Kira's head came up to the woman's shoulders. Above her neck, her medium length wavy blond hair hung down from the crown of her scalp.

As the teenagers approached this woman, Kira felt certain that her eyes had remained locked on him the entire time, studying him with those… with those eyes full of resentment and misunderstanding, those eyes full of malice and loathing, the eyes that had observed and judged him for the entire duration of his life.

"Ah, hi… Mom, this is…" Cagalli began, introducing her friend to her stepmother. Kira noticed the title that Cagalli had addressed her with, he knew that he personally could never give his own guardian that kind of respect… not that he deserved it, of course.

"I know" the older woman interrupted. "You, boy" she said, addressing Kira with a nickname that all adults seemed to associate him with. "You're that Yamato boy, right?"

"Yes ma'am" Kira replied politely "I'm Kira, Kira Yamato."

In a somewhat harsh and certainly unexpected response, the blonde woman glided her arm swiftly through the air and slapped Kira across the face. "Don't you dare talk to me in that insolent tone of yours!" she bellowed like an aggravated troll suffering from chronic constipation, taking it out on ex-family and friends.

"Insolent?" the young coordinator repeated in an attempt to discover how he had offended this person.

"Yes" she replied in a sharp tone that implied a bad mood "You're arrogant, aren't you boy, you're vain.

"No, I'm not" Kira answered her. "With all due respect, you don't actually know anything about me."

"Oh no, I know enough. I know that you're not one of us, you're different and if my foolish daughter were not on some vain crusade of rebellion against the mother whom has cared for her ever since back when she was first born, she would be able to see that simple fact as well."

"What?!" asked Cagalli. "What do you mean rebellion; do you think that is why I'm with Kira, to get back at you for something?"

"Well, isn't it?" the girl's stepmother asked.

"No, he's here because he offered to help, you see? Kira's a nice guy, he's kind, he's a good guy!"

"Oh, I see" the older woman answered. A nice guy, is he?" This time it was Cagalli's turn to receive a slap. "Grow up" the wannabe parent scowled at the girl whom was not technically her daughter. "Goddammit Cagalli, you're fraternising with the enemy! Don't you even realise that?"

Cagalli's eyes widened at this women's coarseness, she never expected her to say anything like that. Sure, she thought there would be a certain degree of friction but that outburst, no matter how you look at it was uncalled for.

"So then, _stepmother_" Cagalli said through a tightened throat "Is that really what you think, is it? Anyone I consider a friend is an enemy."

"Of course not, you stupid girl" the woman snapped. "You think my world revolves around your petty social calendar? Besides, What about you're other friends, I have no problem with them, you really should spend more time with them before they drop you like hat with a hole in the front… especially now that you've been seen in public with…" she rudely pointed a finger square in Kira's face "…him."

"So you want me to stay in the company of those other friends, the slaves of the media, the popular girls, right?"

"Yes, the impressions you make now can stick with you for life so make sure they are good ones."

"Right, so I should join the ranks of the vain, self-conscious, shallow puppets of the fashion industry, soon to be the future girls in the employ of the sex industry… yeah, you have a great plan for me."

"Don't you _dare_ talk to me like that!"

"Oh no, I'm serious. If those girls jumped headfirst off a cliff with no chance of survival, I'd probably be the only one not to follow them, anyway, I think I'd rather befriend Kira, Maybe he's not from a wealthy family, maybe he's not popular and maybe he was born differently… but he has something those media zombies will never have."

"Oh yes, and what might that be?"

"He is a real person."

"Thanks Cagalli but you don't have to defend me, I know when know one wants me around. It's a skill I've picked up over time… I'm used to it and it's clear that I'm not wanted here… I'm gonna go. I'm sorry for everything" Kira said before turning his back on them and quietly walking away.

"Humph, just as I thought, first you make a commitment and then walk away from it."

Kira shook the remark out of his head. If he were to leave, it would be due to the fact that he hadn't the decency to stay; if he were to stay, it would be due to the fact that he hadn't the decency to stay away.

No matter where he went, he was alone and whatever he did was wrong. He always went the wrong way. He always said the wrong thing and always executed the wrong action. He had a question burning deep within his brain, a question that had caused him so much anguish and confusion: Why the fuck was he born, why did he even exist?

If there was an almighty deity watching over from above, why the hell did he not come down and shower Kira with divine intervention, why the hell did he simply sit on his fat ass and watch, what the hell kind of a god draws pleasure from the agony and suffering felt by his own damned, desecrated creation?

There was no way an organism of such divinity could be so cruel so why did so many people around the world still believe in said god, for what conceivable reason did the naive masses of the world have for devoting their faith towards an outdated religion?

Who controlled it all, who cashed in on all these donations, who was it that made a comfortable living off of these countless 'non-profit organisations'? The man in charge, did he believe in the stories that he preached, was he sane? The pope must have acquired a taste for the devourment of mushrooms.

For all the religious nuts in the world, for all the idealistic rants and sermons that they recited, there was not one syllable of truth escaping with the rancid expulsion of air from their rotting mouths.

None of them dared to practice what they preached, all they did was speak sweet words of forgiveness and universal tolerance but in the end, nothing ever changed, the sins of the world would forever remain exactly the same.

The one true religion was now just as it always had been; a hypocritical stab in the back of the great unwashed masses. Good Catholics and Christians went to their appropriate temples on the morning of the Sabbath and looked down on the world's minority groups.

The only good that had come from the entire world hating coordinators was that the pressure was slightly released on the worlds other minorities… and that is exactly what Coordinators had become: Humanity's newest minority, the latest in a long line of mankind's scapegoats.

Such things were the dark thoughts that Kira had allowed to invade the sanctity of his mind. He had begun walking home after hearing enough of that woman's rambling bigotry.

At the sound of following footsteps, Kira increased his pace and upon hearing his name called in the vocal pattern of a familiar voice, he increased it even more.

Nobody cared about him anymore so why should he have to sit through and listen to what they had to say?

"Kira, Wait!" Cagalli's voice said yet again. Eventually, Kira gave up with a sigh and stood still, waiting for her to inevitably catch up with him.

The footsteps got louder and were followed by the sound of heavy breathing, like the breath of someone that had been running flat out for a while.

"Kira, didn't you hear me?" Cagalli asked.

Kira merely nodded in response, still not looking at her, he stood facing the opposite direction.

"Uh, Kira?" Cagalli began cautiously, her voice full of uncertainty "you're not mad at me, are you?"

Kira sighed and allowed his facial muscles to relax into a neutral expression before turning around to face the blonde girl. "No, it's nothing, forget about it" he answered.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Cagalli asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Kira answered "Why did you come after me? You didn't have to."

"Oh" Cagalli answered. "Well, I just wanted to make sure you were all right, I mean you came with me to help, right? You didn't need to hear her talking about you like that."

"I don't suppose her talking about me behind my back would be much better as a substitute" Kira answered.

"Well, no… but… ah, forget about it, I really just came to apologise for all that."

"What for?" asked Kira.

"You know, for everything that just happened. I… I don't know, I should have warned you or something."

"So what, you actually knew what was going to happen, you knew that my showing up to help out was going to wind up being a massive disaster?"

"More or less, yes" Cagalli answered while her eyes dropped down to the cementitious pavement below their feet.

"Maybe you should have said something then" Kira said in a voice that lacked emotion "although I can understand why you didn't, I don't blame you but can you tell me something?"

"What?"

"Does your entire family hold a deep seated loathing towards Coordinators or is your stepmother special?"

The girl sighed at Kira's bitter remark. "Please, don't blame her."

"Would you rather I blame you? I have to blame someone… or maybe I should blame myself for thinking I'd actually made a friend, I should've known you'd come from a neo-fascist background."

"Kira, be serious… I'm begging you. Please don't hold a grudge against her."

"Fine, I'll show her the forgiveness she doesn't deserve."

"You don't understand! It's not her fault! If you'll just listen, I'll tell you the story."

Kira nodded. "But can we go over there in the shade first?"

"Alright" Cagalli answered. The two teenagers then slowly walked at the exact identical pace, into the shaded protection of a stone-grey concrete building wall.

Cagalli waited for a long while before talking, considering seriously about what to say. Kira stood silently beside her, facing away from the wall he had his back to.

The blonde turned to look at the boy standing beside her side on. He seemed to be looking strait ahead, not taking anything in.

"It was…" Cagalli began, unsure as to where her story would go. She didn't know how in-depth she would go. She decided to just talk, to just say the words that were flowing through her mind, crashing and colliding, mixing and intertwining with each other. She decided to talk while she still had a story in her head to tell.

"It was thirteen years ago" she said, telling the story. "It was during that last war between the PLANTs and the Earth that lasted five years."

Kira looked at her. "What happened?" he asked.

"Thirteen years ago, when I was five… it was during the last war" Cagalli answered. "My father was sent into a secret operation, I don't know the name… but from what I do know about it, I figure it was most likely a suicide mission, he fought so hard, so did all his fellow soldiers but as it turned out, they were all nothing more than a distraction."

"What do you mean distraction?" Kira asked.

"What else could the word distraction mean?" Cagalli said impatiently, although she continued despite the question. "They were just a distraction, a cheap sacrifice in order to catch the enemy off guard."

"Is that why she hates people like me?" Kira asked "She hates Coordinators?"

"She blames those who are like you, yes."

"Why?"

"They were the enemy; it is because of them that the sacrifice had to be made."

"Maybe" Kira responded "But it really was the top officers in charge of the Earth Forces that devised the plan, Naturals are as much to blame as Coordinators."

"That is an opinion shared only by a few… it is a pity" Cagalli commented sadly.

"So she blames me for her husband's death?" Kira asked "Thirteen years ago, right? I'm only sixteen now. I must've been maybe three years old back then; I didn't even know that I was a Coordinator. I didn't know there was a difference… I still don't see any vivid line that separates us… so how the hell can she blame me?"

"I… I don't know, the war is over, it has been for a decade now but she has trouble realising that. After you left…" Cagalli said before pausing to think. "…she gave me a big lecture about befriending someone such as you, as though it were the worst crime in the world. I'm sorry about all this; I wish I could change her mind." She added.

Kira looked down at his watch and his eyes widened as he realized the time. "I should be going, since I won't be helping out with you, I want to get home before… I need to get home soon" he said.

What he didn't say, however, was the unsung farewell, the final goodbye; for he felt sure that he and the girl beside him would never again meet.

He had taken no more that six or seven steps when he was stopped by the girl's voice once again.

"Hey, Kira, I'm with you on all of this, I mean I agree with what you were saying. It really isn't fair that coordinators were blamed for the fatalities in war, we were all participants. We all killed and are all to blame. There are no winners or losers, only grief and the idea of vengeance."

"Do you hate me to?" Kira asked.

"…No, if you want to, I just wanna be friends, I don't care who you are or where you came from. What other coordinators did before you has no present bearing on who you are, remember that and if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, could you kick 'em in the head once for me?"

Kira smiled at the light-hearted attitude of Cagalli's remark.

"I'll be in the town centre later; I'm working evenings in the local pharmacy. If you wanna meet me there between five and seven… maybe we can do something, that new mall is opening today and they have sideshows and games and that sort of thing. I know a whole lot of people that are going; do you want to join us?"

"Won't they mind?"

"If they have a problem then they know what they can do about it, right? Come on, it'll be fun."

"I don't know" Kira replied honestly. Even if he felt like going, how would he explain it to…"

"Come on Kira, you don't want to kill our new budding friendship now, do you?"

"So what, you're blackmailing me now?"

"Blackmail is such an ugly word, I'm just giving you a little shove out the door of your secluded safe house" Cagalli joked "I'll see you there, okay?" she instructed, rather than asking.

Kira guessed she was just that kind of person, the kind of forward, pushy person that wasn't afraid to speak her mind. These were the thoughts that crossed his mind as he watched the girl walk back in the direction of her mother's stall. As he watched her leave, he couldn't help but be grateful that their places were not switched.

He filed these thoughts at the back of his mind as he turned around and headed for home. Kira usually liked to take what was often referred to as the 'scenic route' but today he decided against it.

He had already wasted a lot of time so he figured that he should hurry home… if he arrived too late, how he would explain himself? With that thought in mind, he increased his walking speed in an attempt to get home quickly.

Kira passed houses beyond houses, separated only by white wooden fences that came up to the average person's chest height. There was no wasted space between the differing houses dedicated to something as trivial as a flower garden.

With the cloud-sodden sky above and the dull pavement below, this route was void of all meanings of the word beauty but at least it was quiet. This was certainly not the way Kira would normally have come.

This dull, desolate, boring road was nothing like the scenic route in which Kira liked to walk. Needless to say, Kira's walk home on this path had not been an enjoyable one; neither had it been truly fulfilling or even interesting but now it had come to an eventual end.

Kira's walking slowed to a stop as he approached the house of his residence. His legs ceased to carry him forward anymore and his eyes widened in surprise as he tried in vain to swallow the hard lump that was at that very moment, forming in his throat.

Before his very eyes, he saw the very thing that he was hoping and wishing not to see. There was a car parked in the small driveway… it was his car.

What the hell was that man doing here so soon? Kira looked at his watch for the time and was shocked to see how late it had gotten. Just how long had he been walking, anyway?

He had no idea that so much time had been lost but decided to accept it as fact. There was no use wasting even more time so reluctantly, he walked step after step toward the house, with each step taking that much closer not only to the shelter and shade of the building itself but also the man that awaited him inside.

Kira could imagine the man's arrogant tone and the smirk on his face, like the villain of some action movie sitting in a comfortable executive leather swivel chair, waiting for the protagonist to find his secret underground lair, just to be told it was all a trap.

With light, silent footsteps, Kira ascended the stone steps toward the house threshold and reached out his hand to turn the steel door-handle.

The door opened slowly and silently, Kira stepped inside, turned around, pulled down the door handle and slowly guided the door to rest in the 'closed' position of its frame, closing the hole in the house.

"Kira, There you are!" a voice exclaimed from behind, as soon as the brunette had closed the door and relinquished the door handle from his grasp. The boy turned around to see standing behind him, the owner of the house.

"I must say" he continued "You're rather late, I expected you to be here at least an hour ago."

"How long have you been here?" Kira asked.

"Actually, I just got here. I might have been home for maybe a couple of minutes… no longer than that."

With this news, Kira inwardly kicked himself… he could have been home first had he only walked a little faster.

"Well then, Kira, why are you home so late?"

"Well, I had to… someone asked me to help."

"Help, someone seriously asked you to help them?" the house owner laughed. "What are they, new or something?"

"No, I don't think so" Kira replied "Although I can't be sure, I mean I only met her yesterday."

"And she asked you for help, did she?"

"Yeah, she also asked me to meet her later this evening."

"Hmm, stupid bitch, I guess she doesn't realise how useless you really are."

Kira ignored the offensive remark at his expense and allowed it to slither away unnoticed, the way he always did. "So where were you?" he asked the large, muscular man.

"Me? Oh, well, I suppose I could tell you… or can I?" he laughed once more "lets just say I was in a special meeting."

"Special?"

"Yeah, a special meeting, top secret" the man said with a superior smirk riding upon his face. "In other words" he added "not for the unworthy ears of someone such as you."

"Really, can you tell me nothing?"

"No… and even if I could, why would I want to, I mean do you really think that I would waste time explaining all this shit to the likes of _you_? Ha ha ha, you probably wouldn't understand anyway."

He took a step towards the young Coordinator before continuing what may have been a prepared speech.

"Sometimes I ask myself why it must be me who has to put up with you, needles to say, I never wanted this… chore. It was thrust upon me by my sister… your mother. Now I don't pretend to know what the hell went through that bitch's mind when she adopted you… but now she's dead, I'm the one stuck looking after your sorry ass. Remember, Kira, I'm not doing it because I want to, this undesirable task was thrust upon me and I had no say in the matter. If it were up to me, you'd be long dead; decomposing in some landfill with the other trash… you're pathetic, boy."

"Right, sorry… Kerry."

The man froze at the sound of the name and his eyes were filled with rage. "What – Did – You – Call – Me?!" The large muscular skinhead bellowed.

"Oh!" Kira said, realizing what he had done. "Oh, sorry, sir" he hastily said.

"It's too late to apologise now, boy!" the man said, advancing on him violently. "You would have done well to respect me" he said, towering over the weaker human like a predator looming over a small herbivore at least two links down the food chain.

The next thing Kira knew, he had a fist racing towards him, powerfully driven by a muscular mammoth arm. The force of the blow came at the speed of a freight train and was more than enough to knock him unconscious in one punch.

"I'm sorry about this, boy… but it is for your own good, actually, to tell the truth, I have no regrets at all. You must have discipline. I can't have you carrying on with any old slut too ignorant to leave you down in the gutter where you belong. We can't have you thinking that you are as good as everyone else now, can we?"

The man circled the unconscious boy lying at his feet like a vulture as he sneered down at him with a sense of pride.

"No no no, that would be terrible, that would ruin everything, now, wouldn't it. We have plans for you, boy. It may be best for you to miss a day or two of school as well" he said to the unconscious body on the floor. He carried it up to its room, dumped it down on the bed within and locked the door.

Kira now lay lifeless in his room and with no way out, for as long as his guardian decided, in his room he would remain.


	6. Injustice

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sewn Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed, all names places and characters relating to Gundam Seed belong to Sunrise

**Author's Notes:** Some of you have been complaining about the lack of Lacus in this story so far. I personally thought that I had made one or two obvious hints at where she is (the school assembly for example) but that is apparently not enough. That is why I wrote this chapter, it is dedicated to everyone who has commented on this issue. This chapter was going to be an 'Azrael Episode', showing him as he tries to escape from the UEN but instead, you now have this.

Secondly, someone left me an anonymous review so I was unable to respond to you, whoever you are. You told me that this is an AU story, a pretty pointless thing to say. Let me ask you something, when the first 'Star Wars' movie came out in cinemas, did people send George Lucas feedback telling him that it was suspiciously similar to a science fiction movie? (Sorry if I seem sarcastic, I don't really mind, I'm just trying to make a point.)

About the question regarding Gundams, There are already Gundams and in Hargthern's part of the story, they just don't have pilots yet. I don't know when Kira will fight back, I imagine he will at some point, I just don't know when. Also, this is something like two handred years after the events of the anime so the technology is different.

**Phase 06 – Injustice**

The hysterical redhead feared for her life. Her consciousness was so far away from the current situation that she could have died and not even notice. She happened to be so busy screaming that she had no idea where she was.

Her muffled screams could still be heard through the arm covering her open mouth after the blonde man dragged her out of that debating chamber. Azrael had managed to bar the door to the chamber and block the bickering politicians inside but didn't know what to do about the situation before him.

This girl just would not cease her noise, no matter what Azrael tried to do to calm her down. It was as if her brain had gone into some kind of trauma induced overload.

Azrael tried everything to get her to be quiet. Frankly, he was running out of ideas and was getting rather frustrated. Just standing there, he felt anger swelling up within him, anger which could only be released in one way.

Infuriated with Yuri, he pushed her forward slightly, spun her around one hundred and eighty degrees and sent a powerful fist flying right at her face "Shut the fuck up!" he shouted at the top of his voice.

The fist hit Yuri square in the centre of her face in a powerful punch, a wild uncontrollable punch that hit the pale skin of Yuri's face a lot harder than expected. This violent gesture _did_ manage to calm her down into a shocked silence but her eyes were still wide in fear.

Yuri had no real emotion on her face, nor did she say a single thing or make any kind of noise whatsoever. She simply continued to stare strait through him with those fear-stricken wide eyes while a thin but steady stream of blood ran from within her nostril down past her pink lips.

_Damn, I don't have time for this_ Azrael said inside his head while right at that instant, something caught his eye. He turned his head to get a better look at the odd school-age gathering lined up beside the debating chamber door.

They stood with their backs to the wall, staring at the blonde man with wide eyes. "Miss…?" one of the students said "miss, what's wrong?"

Azrael put his arm around Yuri's neck once more and her eyes widened in fear again. Her nose was still bleeding and by now, the smooth-flowing stream of blood had flowed down her chin and begun to stain her clothes. "You're the kids on the tour, right? Yes, you should go home before the guards arrive."

"But…" one of the students said.

"Shut up!" Azrael demanded "Tell 'em, _Yuri_, they should leave, now!" When Yuri did not respond, Azrael could feel his anger rising once more. "Tell them!"

"Ah, y-yeah, you should go, all of you go, get out of here!"

"Please excuse us" Azrael said politely to the teenage school kids. "I'd love to stay longer but the two of us really _must_ get going."

"Two of us?" asked Yuri, her quiet voice quivering from uncertainty.

A sinister smile came to Azrael, curling the side of his upper lip. "Yes, I can't leave without my bargaining chip, can I?" he asked, before pulling her away, into the shadows of an empty adjoining room.

After making sure the two were alone, he pulled a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his blazer, unfolded it and handed it to Yuri. "I assume you've noticed but your nose is bleeding, you should clean yourself up with this" he informed her, indicating the clean white silk square in his hand.

Yuri took the handkerchief and put it to her nose in order to stop more blood from running out from her nostril.

While she did this, Azrael stood behind her and rested his hands on the redhead's shoulders. "Just relax and lean back against me" he said in a calm, soothing, reassuring voice.

Despite Azrael's instruction, Yuri's muscles seemed to tense.

"Hey, come on now" Azrael said, shifting his grip on the girl's shoulders. He pulled her backwards so that her body rested against his, her legs seemed to pivot from the ankles. He tilted her head back so that it rested on his shoulder. He raised one of his arms to Yuri's face and gently pinched the bridge of her nose with his middle finger and thumb.

Azrael moved his other arm from Yuri's shoulder and moved it down to hold her body steady in some sort of strange but comforting embrace. After facing trauma, hostages normally needed someone to reassure them that they are safe… although this kind of comfort and support usually never came from the captor himself, nevertheless, it seemed to be working.

Azrael could feel Yuri's body reaching tranquillity as her muscles began to relax and soften and her breathing began to slow down to a more regular pace.

They simply stood there in silence while minutes soon passed away as peacefully as old relatives dying of natural causes.

"I think the blood will have dried up by now" Azrael said.

"Oh… right, yeah" Yuri replied, trying desperately to mask the disappointment in her voice, she had been enjoying the moment but now it was over. Azrael stepped away from the red-haired girl and she removed the handkerchief from her face.

Examining it, she noticed the way that her putrid blood had desecrated, defiled and outright ruined the virginity of the pure white silk… but at least her nose had stopped bleeding. "I-I'm sorry about the handkerchief" she said.

"What?" asked Azrael, he was clearly unsure of what the girl was talking about "I want you to relax again while I clean up your face, you have dried blood all over you." Yuri remained silent while he placed one hand around the back of her head and with the other, rubbed her face using a clean spot of the blood-stained cloth. "Here, you can keep that" he said, offering her the once-clean, now-soiled cloth to keep.

"Uhh, thanks" Yuri said.

"Look, I'm sorry about hitting you before" Azrael said.

"No, don't apologise" Yuri answered. "It _was_ a shock, I admit that but let's be honest, I needed it. We both kind of lost our cool heads, think nothing of it, it was really nothing" she added with a little smile. Azrael felt a little uneasy, he had punched her hard, right in the face and she had thought nothing of it… why? She didn't look very tough but seemed to be able to take a punch well enough… better than most young people emerging in the open world today.

Azrael would have questioned her further, but Yuri was the first to speak. "So, what are you gonna do now?" she asked.

"Well, first I guess I have to find a way out of here" the blonde man answered thoughtfully.

"And then what?"

"Who knows?"

"Well then, how are you going to escape… and even if you do, its not like you can just go wherever you want, can you… I mean, your name is probably going to pop up all over the world, you're not going to be able to go _anywhere_."

"If you are trying to comfort me, I have to say, you are doing a very poor job."

"Sorry, I just want to know what your plan is, that's all. I'm just curious."

"Really, so am I" Azrael remarked.

"You mean you don't even know what to do?"

"Well…" Azrael said "I did some research before coming here and there is a secret wing on one of the lower levels."

"What do you mean, what's in there?"

"I haven't been able to confirm it but… there may be a docking bay in there, a way to escape the planet."

"What, you mean like a space port, but isn't that just a science fiction sort of thing? You can't really be serious, can you?"

"Are you calling me a liar, there is more going on here than it would at first glance seem. Of course you have never heard of a space port… you are merely a civilian girl, you were not meant to know."

"But how is this possible? Mass drivers are huge… to have one built secretly underground…"

"It is not a Mass Driver. The Atlantic Federation has been secretly developing new transports capable of escaping and entering the Earth's atmosphere and gravitational pull. These new ships have powerful engines, capable of shooting up like a rocket."

"Like a rocket, isn't that wasteful?"

"No, not at all" answered Azrael. "Remember, these engines are state of the art. Fuel is not wasted excessively and the engines are of course usable again and again. They are not like clumsy rocket boosters. This technological advancement was researched, developed and disclosed only to the appropriate military science and engineering personnel. It is for this reason that you have never heard of such a thing."

"So you are going to sneak into the hanger then?" asked Yuri.

"Exactly, if I can steal one of the transports, I could head to an old unused colony; maybe some of them will have supplies still. Either way, if I can make it to Earth's orbit, I should be able to hide out for a while, until I come up with something else."

"But…"

"Don't worry, I'll give you time to get clear from this place before I do anything" Azrael said. He waited for a minute in silence before doing anything.

"But…" Yuri repeated, before being silenced by Azrael placing a hand over her mouth.

"I can't hear anything" Azrael whispered "I don't think anyone's out there, I should probably leave now while the coast is clear" he added. He looked down and saw something held in Yuri's outstretched hand. It appeared to be a security identification card. "What's this for?" he asked.

"It's my ID card, it will grant you access to anywhere that _I_ am permitted to go."

"What's the good of that, I need to get to a top security area" Azrael replied.

"But I thought it might help" Yuri said in her own defence.

"Really, but I don't look anything like you, this is a photo ID, it wont work."

"Not even as a Cardkey?"

"Cardkey?" asked Azrael.

"Yeah, if there are no security guards around, you can scan the barcode on the back directly into the security interface and the door will temporarily unlock for you."

"Is that right?" Azrael asked interestedly. He had not been made aware of this upgrade in security system.

"Yeah, be careful though because even in times of crisis, there are always sentries guarding the hallways. If they see you, that card will not help you; it can only be used to fool electronic locking mechanisms into thinking you are me.

"Right, thanks, you'd better get out of here while you still can, I'll wait a few minutes before I start. If anyone sees both of us together, they might think you are helping me so be careful and be discreet, if the guards catch you, just make up any old story and if they ask you about _this_" he said, waving the Cardkey before the girl's eyes " just tell them that I stole it or something."

"Right, thanks" Yuri said.

"Hm" Azrael laughed "_I_ should be the one thanking _you."_

"Right" Yuri repeated "So, where should I go?" she asked.

"How should I know" Azrael replied somewhat uncouthly "Just go home."

"Oh" Yuri replied with a certain degree of defeat evident in her voice "right."

"What, what is it?"

"Nothing" Yuri answered in a voice that lacked emotion.

"_You'll be back, you're just like your mother, you can't stay away for too long. It's a pity you couldn't have taken after me a little bit but no, you had to be in the spitting image of that worthless pile of scrap… the pair of you, you're only good for one thing. Heh, you only have a couple of worthwhile organs in your entire waste-of-good-meat body."_

Yuri clenched her facial muscles tightly and turned away from Azrael, determined not to burden an already busy man with her pitiful tale. There _was_ after all, nothing to tell. She simply stood facing away from the blond man with her eyes closed until she had managed to force the awful reminiscent stream to the back of her mind where it belonged.

Yuri was brought back to the present realm by the light touch of the blonde man. She opened her eyes wide and turned back to face Azrael, who pulled her into a tight embrace. "I take it that was a bad memory" he said.

"Wha…" Yuri asked, trying to act as though she didn't know what the blonde man meant.

"Come on, tell me the truth. When I told you to go home just now, you looked as though you were trapped under a pile of rubble and the rescue team had just given up on you."

"No it's… its nothing."

"If you're sure" Azrael replied in a voice that lacked concern "but remember something, no matter what other people do or say, no matter how they oppress or persecute you, no matter what, you can rise above it. You can do whatever the hell you want and someday, maybe you can get even with those same people."

Yuri let a smile show on her lips "thanks" she uttered with almost no volume.

"Don't think about it" Azrael replied, holding her a little tighter and offering her a buffet of his body heat before releasing her altogether "but remember my words, they are true words of advice, follow them to the letter and you'll do fine, no matter where you go."

"Thanks again" Yuri said. "So, do you want me to check the hall for you?"

"You don't have to do that, now get out of here before I'm forced to use you as a shield again."

"You know, if it came to that, I really wouldn't mind."

"I'll remember that."

"Alright, I'll go check. I'll come back if there are definitely no guards around" the girl said before opening the door.

As soon as she got back out, into the hall, the first thing Yuri did was to take a look around. She looked as far as her untrained eyes could see and witnessed no guards in any direction. She faced towards the debating chamber and took a few steps in that direction.

As she walked, Yuri's mind kept wandering back, always coming to rest on the subject of Azrael. Every time she caught it and forced it back to where it belonged – her current task, it somehow managed to slip through her soft little fingers again and again and each time it did, it always came to rest on that same person.

The time spent with Azrael had been both the most frightening, as well as the most soothing time of her life. She wasn't quite sure where she stood with Azrael, one minute he was calm, the next he was using her as a hostage, the next he was calm again and trying to comfort her like a psychologist after the liberation of a terrorist-controlled building. His mentality was like a rollercoaster going up and down, through loops and upside down.

Yuri approached the door to the debating chamber and noticed that it was wide open. The barricade Azrael had made had been removed and was no where to be seen. It was as though it had been completely obliterated by someone or possibly some_thing._

She took a few steps forward and looked around the formal inside of the chamber, it was like a courtroom with its solid oak walls and tabletops and formal-yet-comfortable chairs. It _was_ strange, however. This room seemed to be too quiet and empty. Something was wrong.

_Where is everybody_, she asked herself, was everyone looking for Azrael?

She turned around and went back the way she had come. She continued walking until she found herself once more at the door of Azrael's hiding place. She was about to continue walking and scout the surrounding hallways for guards and security checks when something made her stop. In the near-distance, she saw what appeared to be a soldier or a guard.

The man stood there, not moving, the same as Yuri. He remained still and silent, with the sight of his rifle trained on her. Yuri had no idea of what to do… what was the best solution – strike that, who cared about the best, any solution would do.

The man began moving. Slowly, he took a step toward her… then another, followed by another and another. He continued to walk slowly toward her, all the while keeping the girl in the line of sight of his rifle.

"You" the man said in a loud but calm voice "What are you doing here?"

Yuri froze in place. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't respond, she couldn't react. She couldn't do anything whatsoever.

"Well, who are you, what are you doing here, eh? Are you going to tell me?"

"I…" Yuri began "I'm just a… tour guide."

"A tour guide, huh?" the man with the gun asked sceptically "do you really work here?"

"Y-yes" Yuri answered, realising that the guard didn't believe her.

"Hmm, maybe you do work here… maybe you don't. You _are_ wearing the correct uniform… but _why_ are you here, you _do_ know that you tour guides are not permitted up here, don't you?"

"Yes but…" what could she say, she had no excuse; she had no lie to tell.

"May I see your identification?"

Yuri's eyes widened. What could she do?

"Your identification?" the guard repeated.

"I-I don't have it… it's my first day."

"Don't you feed me that Crockpot full of shit!" the guard replied in anger. "Even if it is your first day, there's no way they'd let you wander on your own without some kind of security pass." The guard readied his rifle to fire. "This is your last chance to tell the truth!" he warned.

"But… I am… I _am_ telling you the…" Yuri began, but was unable to continue due to the small explosion of her flesh.

"I have shot you but do _not_ worry; you will not die from such a minor injury."

Yuri clutched her bleeding arm, the entry point of the guard's bullet. The 'minor' wound hurt so much but she was intent not to give anyone the satisfaction of hearing her make a noise. No sound escaped her lips but then, she didn't need to make a sound – the expression on her face said it all.

"Does it hurt?" the guard asked antagonistically.

Yuri dropped down to her knees, and then sat down on her doubled legs which had apparently given out on her. She looked back up at the guard leering over her.

"So tell me, _little girl_, what is your threshold?"

Yuri shot the guard a look of pure malice. He retaliated by firing another bullet into her body. She felt tears of physical pain forming in her eyes. She closed her eyelids tight to hide this from the malevolent guard.

"How badly does this hurt you?"

"H-help… me" Yuri breathed, she couldn't get her voice to sound the words."

"Go ahead, cry out, No one can help you, go on, I want to hear it… Cry out!"

"Damn, where the hell is he?" Yuri asked "Azrael, Where are you!??"

At that exact second, Azrael was trying to calculate the risks of helping the red haired girl, part of him wanted to rush out and play the hero, but another part of him, the greater part, the logical part of him told him to leave the girl to her fate. "I'm sorry" he muttered "but after our calm, quiet moment… the heavens must cry out with angry tears of violence and bloodshed."

The guard continued to fire shot after shot after shot into Yuri, his advanced knowledge of the human anatomy insuring that he never hit a critical location – he only fired upon her in order to inflict pain. He grinned with sadistic pleasure as he squeezed the trigger time and time again.

Yuri's breathing had changed once more, it was more rushed and much shallower. She had faced so much anxiety and stress today, she didn't know if her heart could handle the pressure it was being forced to endure through all these constantly-tense, anxious, stressful, traumatic situations.

"So does this really hurt you" the guard asked "I wonder how much more of this you can endure. I want to ask you something… and I want you to answer me honestly… just give me an honest-to-god answer." The guard said. "How much pain is your body in right now, how badly are you plagued by these bullet wounds I have given you? Is this _really_ what you call agony?" The guard smirked as though he had just been given the pleasurable task of executing a helpless prisoner. "Humph, you don't know the meaning of the word agony."

Yuri could no longer control her breathing, her chest was rising and falling at such a rapid pace and yet her brain was receiving next to no oxygen. She was going to die… for the second time in one day, her life was in jeopardy. She let out an agonised blood-boiling cry of terror "Somebody… please… somebody… somebody help me!"

* * *

Many kilometres away from the impending excitement at the UEN was the quiet location of what had once been a great city but over the years, this grand metropolis had become a nothing more than a run-down dump.

Many years ago, the city and its residents had thrived and lived peacefully but like all cities, this one was run by a human government and like all weak-minded humans, this city's government were easily malleable to the power of wealth and self-righteousness. All humans were susceptible to such weaknesses – allowing their status and money to change them into something they were not supposed to be – but as history would tell us, Natural's have always been much more at risk to corruption.

Countless years of the corruption and indignation of Natural leaders caused the gradual drop of an honourable government system, until the city was left as nothing more than a pool of human waste. The city had been literally tearing itself apart at the roots. It really was a cesspit of excretion and faeces that willingly raped itself and happily wallowed in its own filth… the scum of its administration – it was them whom had made it that way but it was the innocent citizens that were truly made to suffer.

Fate, it seemed, had sinister plans and to add insult to injury, the citizens of this town were to suffer yet again. Through the ploy of an attack of terror, the entire city had been obliterated. In its last few years, the city had been a corrupt smog filled prison but it was at least home. Now its residents were homeless but perhaps now they would be better off.

After the explosion, the city soon went up in flames, the inferno engulfing dwelling and person alike, blistering and mutilating the charred corpses of loved ones with searing kisses as they slowly died. The victims gave in to their weaknesses as they screamed and writhed in the intense agony of their downfall, while others at least _tried_ to put on a brave face.

Mothers and fathers tried against everything not to show their children the torture they were forced to endure but somehow, the children all knew. The parents were in such torment inside the crematorium of their homes and suffered third-degree burns as a minor discomfort on their way to embrace death.

Many children went insane at the sight and even the ones that retained their stability were adversely affected by the mental trauma of such a calamity. No matter how long they managed to keep the pieces of their fragile minds together, it would only be a matter of time before something set them off… until they were forced to step off the edge of the world and dive head-first into the dark lonely abyss.

Many of the survivors of this tragedy had moved on to a neighboring city. In their old home – corrupt as it was – coordinators had lived amongst the Naturals unnoticed, the world's many problems had brought the two 'races' together.

Now however, these mixed survivors were entering a new city where there resided only one known Coordinator… and he _was_ well known. This was in no way a good thing, for _him_ or the Coordinator refugees, infamy was a bad thing, it drew far too much attention and this young coordinator had it by the truckloads, rumours had been circulated throughout the entire city about the 'Yamato boy' for who knows how long.

Why did the local residents care so much about the origins of one's birth? Was this really such a good idea?

"Is something wrong?" asked a voice.

A man stood outside a church, staring up at the sky, deep in thought. He turned his head to see the reverend of the local church standing behind him. The reverend was a tall thin man with short brown hair. "I've been watching you for some time. You look as if something is bothering you… or are you just thinking of the _disaster_?"

"Disaster?" the other man repeated bitterly "what had happened was no mere accident, nor was it an act of God, it was an intentional act of terror and violence, a terrible and despicable crime committed for an unknown reason by an unknown coward, these terrorists haven't even come forth to identify themselves… they haven't even produced a list of demands, people turn to the government at times like this for answers. What are they doing to resolve this incident? Is more than a decade of peace to much for humanity to ask?" the man said angrily, the actions of these unknown terrorists were enraging him, from the sole of his shoe to the tip of his short blonde hair.

"With all respect Mister Clyne, the government is surely doing all that they can" said the calm voice of a third man. Clyne recognized this man as the headmaster of the high school his daughter had attended before their home had been destroyed by the terrorist bombing.

"That's right" the reverend interjected "if our government knew anything, I'm sure that calming and reassuring the public would be the first thing on their agenda, they don't want riots or mass hysteria do they, so then what reason do they have to hide information?"

"Yeah, that makes sense" Clyne replied.

"Of course it does, remember, politicians are only human and are in no way perfect, regardless of whether they may be Coordinator or Natural. The council of any city or nation will always do their best but can never know every minute detail about a given situation. I also want you to always remember another thing."

"What is that?"

"I don't know what the future holds in store for us, no mere mortal man can ever tell you that… but for as long as it is required, the church will always be open for you or anyone else and our saviour and lord will always welcome all with open arms, be they citizen, immigrant or refugee."

"Yes, thank you, reverend" Clyne replied.

The reverend gave the two men a cherry smile before leaving them to talk to someone else.

"So I hear that the reverend will be holding a memorial service for all those who lost their lives" the now out of work headmaster said, obviously talking about the tragedy that had befallen their community."

"Yes, it will be held this Friday."

"Friday, are you sure?"

"Yes, why?" asked Clyne.

"Oh, no reason, I just didn't expect it to be that soon… you know of course that all school-age students will be attending the local schools in this city. Their first day will be this coming Monday, right after the weekend. That will give them only a few days of being with what family they have left before being thrust together with the insensitive sods this city calls students."

"Yes… and that high school, I am not sure about it."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not sure; something is telling me it is a bad idea… I'd feel uneasy even if my daughter were herself but in her present state of mind…"

"I see" the man asked, his voice softened with concern "how is she?"

"Lacus is… she has taken the death of her mother quite hard, I don't know what I should do."

"Is he still inside?"

"Yes, when I left the reverend's house today, she was resting on the floor. I couldn't bring myself to wake her, I can only assume that she is still there."

"Don't you think it would be better if she went out for a while, to talk to some of the others or at least get some fresh air?"

"No, I think that rest is what's best for her… since I know for a fact that she isn't sleeping at night. If my wife had lost her life to natural causes or an illness, perhaps that would have been better. I'll admit that it would have still been hard on both Lacus and I but perhaps she could have recovered sooner… I mean now, every time someone mentions terrorist activity, it will only serve as a reminder… to be made to suffer such loss… and at such a young age…it just isn't fair for them."

"You're right, I was sure the peace would last _this_ time."

"Times like this…it makes me wonder if there really is a god… I mean if there really is an almighty deity up there watching over us, how can he allow this to happen, after so much has happened, how can everyone keep their faith?"

"Because we must" said the voice of the reverend, he had apparently come back to say something but how long had he been standing there?

Both men turned to face the reverend. "Oh, I'm sorry" Clyne apologised.

"No, do not say that for my benefit" the reverend replied "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I merely want to help you understand my point of view" he said, he paused to breathe before continuing. "You see, I think it is _because_ so much has happened that we must continue to have faith, now more than ever. We have been forced to endure so much hardship over the course of our lives. If we then found out that it was all for naught, what would we do then?"

"We have faith because it helps us understand" said the former headmaster.

"Exactly, mister Durandal" replied the reverend "if we believed that nothing awaited us at the end of the world, then what would we do, how could we go on living in such a world? Keeping faith alive and keeping sanity alive are one and the same thing."

Clyne nodded in agreement "I understand what you are saying."

"I, for one" said Durandal "believe that if the ideals of hope and religion were to fall, than many of us would simply cease to be, our population would fall and those of us unfortunate enough to be left alive would crumble. All at once, countless unfortunates would take their own lives and those to remain would be nothing but scum… selfish followers of the cult of decadence. Looters and anarchists would take all and our streets would be polluted with the decaying carcasses of their victims."

"So I trust that you and Lacus will be attending the memorial ceremony?" the reverend asked Clyne.

"Yes, at least I think so, I haven't been able to find a way to ask her" answered Clyne.

"Well, I for one think the two of you should go, I notice that Lacus hasn't left my house since the two of you first arrived."

"Oh, I'm sorry to inconvenience you, it's just that…" Clyne began, trying to apologise until the reverend cut him off.

"No, that is not what I mean at all, I only wanted to say that it would do her well to get some air in her lungs, and to see that she is no different from everyone else, if she goes to the memorial, it may make school easier."

"School?" said Clyne "I don't know, perhaps attending this school would serve as a nice little distraction for her, take her mind of things."

"I think you are right" Durandal said thoughtfully "I know what she's going through and distraction is the key, trust me, the less time her mind dwells on the tragedy, the happier she'll be and the sooner she can begin to recover. I assure you, keeping her mind occupied will serve a purpose in itself, if you keep her locked up inside, she'll only grow more miserable."

"Perhaps" Clyne answered "But what of the other students, what about the teachers… and the Yamato boy."

"He seems alright to me, based on what I've heard" Durandal said.

"That just makes it worse, if he is so great, then why does he have such a reputation, there is talk of him all around the city."

"Perhaps it is because he is the only known Coordinator here, now that more of us reside here, perhaps their tolerance can increase."

"I hope so" Clyne answered "I can only hope that someday soon, we can all live together in harmony, without being discriminated or targeted. I'm tired of hearing stories about these petty differences being the cause of fights."

"What would happen if Yamato and Lacus were to meet?"

"I don't know. Part of me feels sorry for the boy… perhaps if he were befriended by a fellow Coordinator… perhaps one day soon he will be."

"But by somebody else's child, right?"

Clyne nodded. "I would prefer if he and Lacus were never to meet… hopefully that will be the case but if they _were _to come into contact with each other, it would only turn out negatively for Lacus. Why did you bring it up, anyway?"

"Many adult survivors like you – are parents – and as you know, many are educators – like myself."

"Is there a point to this, Durandal?"

"Of course, I'm trying to tell you that many of us have been offered teaching jobs at the local schools… and as it turns out, I have taken one of these positions at the high school. Who knows, if Lacus attends, I may even end up teaching her for a class."

"Is that so…"

"Come with me, I want to show you something."

* * *

Not too far away from the conversation held by the three men, a girl lay on the floor of a house built directly behind the church. She lay asleep with her body curled into a tight ball, her contorted face foretelling the disturbing images flashing through her mind like a film projector showing a horror movie to a young child.

She saw metre-high flames dance around her, tickling and teasing her skin… but somehow not hurting her. These flames touched her, caressed her… but brought her no pain and she didn't care why.

The flames continued to dance around her, encircling her… suddenly, her vision blurred. She blinked, rubbed her eyes and immediately found that she could see again, although the sight before her had changed dramatically.

She was no longer alone; she was surrounded by her dying neighbours. She saw their blistered faces; their bone exposed like some kind of grotesque Halloween art, their flesh melted and fell to the scorched earth below their burning feet.

She saw them die; she watched them all fall to the hellish infernal blaze. Her family, her friends, her mother… they all disappeared into the flames with a horrible deafening shriek that rung in her ears for what seemed like forever.

Then, without a sound, the girl jerked awake. She lay awake in the haunting, deafening silence of the room. She had tears in her eyes. The dead quiet was unbearable. It threatened to drive her off the edge of sanity.

She wrapped her arms around herself, each hand grabbing the other arm just above the elbow, locking herself in a tight, asphyxiating self embrace. She tucked up her knees to her chest, doubled over on the floor as she let the tears fell from her eyes.

There she lay for god knows how long, curled up on the floor silently in self-pity. Scruffy strands of long pink hair lay out in all directions behind her as she cried her silent sobs into the thin of the air.

The girl allowed the tears of despair to run down the side of her face until they eventually ceased to flow like the liquid from a reservoir that had run dry from months of constant drought. She stood to her feet and slowly walked to the window to her left.

She stared out the window for a short while and her eyes widened at what she saw. She knew those faces. She had seen them in her dreams. She had seen the blistering faces of those two in her most recent in a string of reoccurring nightmares.

She crossed the room and opened the door. She saw them cross her line of sight, those two, her friends. Both were of an average height and both had brown hair. They stopped walking to remain stationary and talk about some unknown topic.

She crossed the house threshold and closed the door behind her. She didn't know why, but something inside was driving her on, for some unknown, incomprehensible reason, she felt as though she had to see those two.

Her two friends stood together in the distance, one was a girl, the other, a boy. They were still a fair way away from the pink-haired girl, who was slowly but surely approaching them. Just then, the brunette boy turned around. "Well, look Milly" he said to the girl beside him "look who it is."

The girl turned to get a look at whatever her companion seemed to be so interested in and her eyes instantly locked on to those of the approaching girl's. Her eyes instantly lit up and a smile appeared on her face. "Hey, Lacus!" she yelled.

Her male friend lightly nudged her with his elbow. "Try not to overwhelm her" he warned "Remember, she was there when it happened, she saw her family roasted alive and yet she was not scarred at all… well, not on the outside at least. It's an image that most likely will continue to haunt her for quite some time. I wouldn't be surprised if she isn't in the mood to talk."

"But… she came out here, right?"

"Yeah, but don't be too shocked if she doesn't seem her usual cheerful self."

"…yeah, you're right."

The girl approached the two friends. "Miriallia, Tolle" she said, greeting them both unintentionally formally by using their names.

"It's been a while since we saw you last" the boy said.

"Yeah, well… I've been in there" Lacus said, pointing over her shoulder with her thumb to the house she had exited.

"Well, its good to see you" the boy said. "We heard that you made it out alive… but I was kinda worried, to be honest.

"Tolle?" asked Lacus, talking to herself more than anyone else.

Before anyone could say anything further, Tolle brought the three of them together, wrapping one arm around each of the girls on either side of him. "It's been too long since the three of us were all together last" he said.

"Ah, yeah" Lacus agreed." Although all three of them were fifteen, Lacus had skipped a grade early in school so they had never all been in the same class since they were juniors at primary school.

"Its just too bad" Tolle said, releasing his two friends from his grip. "It's too bad that it took a tragedy like this to bring all three of us together at once to the same place."

Lacus looked away from the other two. It was true; she had not spent too much time with both of her friends. She had remained good friends with Miriallia; however she had begun loosing touch with Tolle.

"So… are the two of you a couple now?" Lacus asked, trying to change the subject to a new direction before it crashed into Pandora's Box. These two probably already knew that she was there when it happened… she would do anything to evade that particular discussion.

"What?" Tolle asked.

"Oh, I heard that the two of you were…"

"Who told you that?" Tolle interrupted.

Miriallia looked at him, blushing slightly.

"Well, maybe" he finally answered. "We were talking and thinking about it for a long time but…"

"It was all this happening that eventually threw us together" Miriallia said, finishing up the boy's sentence.

"Oh, I see" Lacus answered, this conversation was heading in the wrong direction.

"Hey" Tolle asked "I was wondering if the two of us could get a ride with you and your father on Friday."

"Friday?" Lacus asked, confused.

"You know, for the memorial."

"What memorial?"

"You don't know?"

"no-one told _me_ anything about it" Lacus answered.

"Ask your father about it" Miriallia suggested "or maybe the reverend, he's the one organising everything."

"This shouldn't be" Tolle said after a brief period of silence "the fire, us being here… it isn't right, things shouldn't be this way. I wonder who's to blame for it all" Tolle said.

"Blame?" asked Lacus.

"Yeah, someone started that fire, didn't they?" Tolle asked.

"Yeah, whoever did it is responsible for everyone who lost their lives."

"Couldn't it have all been an accident?" asked Lacus.

"No, there's no way" Tolle replied "this was intentional; someone did this to us on purpose. This was arson, or perhaps a willing act of terror."

"Terror?" Lacus asked, her eyes widened, she hadn't given much thought to the cause of the fire. "So an extremist did this… to finish what groups like 'Blue Cosmos' started?"

"Maybe" Miriallia replied vaguely "Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised. Those guys don't care how many innocent lives they destroy. Actually, it could've been them… because of this, none of us have any homes to go to."

"We've lost… we've lost everything" Lacus commented.

"Yeah, but… you still have your father right?" Miriallia said.

"Yeah, I saw him before" Tolle added.

"Yes but… my mother died in the flames."

"But at least you have _someone_; you didn't loose _everything_, did you?" Miriallia said, sounding much more mean-spirited than she intended to.

Lacus' eyes widened and her breathing froze.

"Milly…" Tolle said quietly.

"The two of us lost it all, our family, our friends…"

Lacus closed her eyes to hide the tears that were now forming once more.

"…our homes, our possessions"

"The two of us lost both our parents" Tolle said.

This was going just how Lacus feared it would. Next would come the asking of the question.

_Why couldn't you do anything, you were there, why couldn't you do anything!!?_

Why couldn't she, she was there, why couldn't she save anyone… why did _she_ survive, why was she unharmed while so many others had died? For what reason was she still alive? She carried on her body not a single scar or burn mark and because of her pathetic cowardice… so many had died, surely she could have helped at least one person escape Hell but instead, she left them do die in burning agony… even her own mother. She ran away and left them all to prey for a rescue team that never arrived.

"I'm sorry!" she said.

"What, why… you are the last person that should have to apologise" Tolle said.

"But… it's my fault. Because of me, they all died" the girl said, she found herself unable to hold back this second wave of tears.

Tolle walked close to her and wrapped his arms around the distressed girl in a comforting embrace while his other female friend could only watch. "Don't say that, don't even think it" he said calmly "There's nothing you could've done."

"But I was there" Lacus sobbed "I could have helped them out, I could have saved someone… but I didn't. I just left them, I was afraid, I just ran and left them to die."

"Is that really what you believe? I don't think you could have done anything, even if you tried. You couldn't have got anyone out, you'd just be risking your own life… but you managed to survive, that's the most important thing." Lacus looked up at him with teary eyes. "You did the right thing, not even the rescue team could get anyone out alive, that place was a death trap."

"No" Lacus argued "Don't you get it…? There _was_ no rescue team!"

"What…?" the two brunettes both asked; clearly shocked at the news.

"It's true" Lacus answered "there was no rescue, no paramedics, no disaster relief besides the reverend of this city's local church… nobody cares about us, nobody came to help us… the entire world has given up on us."

"Is this all because we allowed coordinators to live with us?" Miriallia asked "Somehow… that just seems unfair."

* * *

Coincidently, Durandal had just finished his conversation with Siegel Clyne about his daughter. Clyne just so happened to be walking back the reverend's house to check on his daughter when his eye picked something up.

He saw three teenagers… his daughter among them. He wasn't sure what to think. Was it alright for her to be out like this… but then again, perhaps Durandal was right. Maybe being around other people her own age would help her to pass through the grieving process faster.

He slowly approached the three friends. As he got closer, he saw that one of the teenagers had their arms around Lacus, likely trying to comfort her. He continued to walk until he was only a few metres from the three friends. "Lacus?" he said, trying to get the attention of his daughter."

Lacus turned to face him. Just by looking at her, he could tell what she had been doing. She had been crying, that much was obvious although he didn't say anything about it. "Lacus, can you come with me please, there's something I need to talk to you about."

Lacus stepped away from the other two and wiped her face with her hands as she walked towards her father.

As Clyne looked at the other two, he was struck with the realization that he had seen them somewhere before. He recognised the two of them as old friends of Lacus. It had been a long time since he'd seen either of them but he was sure it was them.

Eventually, his gaze snapped from the two teenagers, to the face of his daughter. "Come on" he instructed her.

The father and his daughter walked together as though they were taking a leisurely stroll. It was a while before either of them said a word. "You remember the headmaster of your old school, right?" he asked.

Lacus nodded in answer.

"Right, well I've just been talking to him and it turns out that he's gonna be teaching at the school in this town."

"Really?" Lacus replied.

"Yeah, so have a think about it, do you want to go?"

"Go?"

"To the local high school, do you want to go there?"

"What?"

"I don't mean now, all refugee children are to attend the local schools, starting strait after the weekend. Do you want to go or would you rather not?"

"What about… the memorial?" Lacus asked, changing the subject without looking at her father.

"Oh, did _they _tell you about that?_" _Clyne asked, referencing the two teenagers he had seen her with.

"Yeah."

"Oh, well that's going to be on Friday. To be honest, I didn't think you'd feel up to going."

"Is that… is that why you didn't tell me about it?"

"I… I'm sorry about that. Do you want to go?"

"I think so."

"What about school? You know that you don't _have_ to go right away, I mean you must have suffered quite a lot."

"No more than everyone else" Lacus replied. It was true enough, a lot of people had lost everything, she just had to think about Miriallia and Tolle, they had lost both their parents and were each the closest thing the other had to family. Lacus still had a father, she had family. She had no right feeling sorry for herself, she just needed to harden up and stop being such a childish little girl.

"Don't be so hard on yourself; do you really think going to school will help you?"

"But at least you have _someone_; you didn't loose _everything_, did you?"

"Yeah, I think by keeping occupied, I may be able to live" Lacus said.

"If you're sure" her father replied, not thinking anything of the way Lacus had phrased her thought.

"Yes, this is for the best, otherwise I may never get over this… if the others can get on with their lives, I have to as well… I have no right just sitting in my own doom and gloom of dusk."

"Okay" her father said, understanding exactly what she had meant. It was just as Durandal had said, he knew just what he was talking about as if he had gotten inside her mind, as if he had known what she was thinking. "The memorial is on Friday, I assume you will want to go to that, as well."

"Yes, um, those two friends I was with…"

"What about them?"

"They… wanted me to ask you if you could give them a ride."

"Yes, I think that would be alright. On Friday, we'll all go together.

Lacus breathed a sigh of relief; she had not expected it to go that smoothly. She was looking forward to seeing her friends the next time… she would have good news to tell them.

* * *

**There you go, I've finally introduced Lacus, I originally planned to introduce her when she started going to the new school… I don't know where the whole 'I watched them Die' plot came from, it wasn't originally going to be part of the story… but I think it works in here well enough… tell me what you think.**

**Morbid333**


	7. Fun Day Out

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sown Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed

**Phase Seven - Fun Day Out**

In the Reverend's house, the young pink-haired Coordinator slept once more. It was a shallow sleep, not a deep sleep, not a peaceful sleep. Her dreams were disturbed yet again by images of her dying friends and family.

Her reoccurring nightmare would not let her rest. I would not give her a day off and it would never give her the luxury of a worthwhile sleep. It constantly bugged her, woke her, disturbed her and ate away at her like a baby crying in the night, relentlessly waking its unprepared, underage, homeless and hopeless single mother.

Once more, her subconscious bared its fangs and dropped her head-first into the dark void of dreams. Her mind was against her and decided to show the unfortunate girl its malice in the form of an inescapable nightmare.

Lacus was trapped in the darkness of her dreams, trapped in their agonisingly asphyxiating embrace, her mind repeatedly defiled by metaphorical arms as she tried to regain her balance, lest she fall from the ledge into the greater evil of one of the two pools below her, one pool representing continuous sanity and the other existing only to personify never ending grief and madness.

In her dark dreams she saw the same thing again and again. It was so repetitive and yet it was something she could experience for eternity and still never grow accustomed to.

Those same faces as they burned into the fire, their scorched faces burning into the back of her mind, their skin peeling and shrivelling, their clothes tattered and torn and their flesh – a burned roast as they were cremated alive in the 'safety' of their homes.

The sound of their screams entered her mind as they grew in intensity inside the maelstrom of Lacus' nightmare. They grew louder and louder still until their dying cries were deafening and indistinguishable, so much so that they could not be told apart, they had somehow merged together into one massive, destructive, horrifyingly deafening racket.

Lacus wanted to escape this dreadfulness but her mind had other ideas. It would not let her run away, it would not let her look away, it would give her no such sweet release. It would not let her commit the same atrocious acts of cowardice that she had perpetrated in reality.

She was at the mercy of her own subconscious… she could not escape the personal Hell of her dreams until they eventually relinquished their hold on her and thrust her out to the world of men like a consumer throwing out the used packaging from a food product.

The tormented cries grew too much for her, so much so that she wanted to let out her own anguished cry. Her surroundings, her blurred, smoke-impaired vision, and these scenes that replayed inside her mind on an endless loop… she couldn't handle it anymore. It was too much.

She awoke with a start and instantly raised her head. She frantically looked around the room, twisting and craning her neck in all directions.

She immediately calmed down when she realized that she was not alone. Her two friends from the day before were in the room with her. They had been watching her. _Just how long have they been there?_ Lacus wondered.

They immediately approached her – kneeling down to her level like a kindergarten teacher kneels down to the eye-level of young children – as soon as they saw that she had awakened.

They sat down beside her.

"Why are you here" Lacus asked them both.

"Why do you think?" Tolle replied "We came to see you but you were asleep so we figured we'd wait for you to wake up."

"You should've just woken me, I wouldn't have minded."

"Yeah, well I was _going_ to but Miriallia stopped me, she thought it would be best if you woke up naturally."

"Oh, well then I'm awake, at any rate" Lacus replied, her eyes not meeting either of the two pairs that looked upon her with the concern and interest of a biologist studying a new specimen of their own creation to ensure it's survival throughout the cold winter.

"So what do you want to do?" asked Miriallia.

"I don't know" Lacus answered truthfully, she didn't really care what she did as long as it was _something_, anything to take her mind off her nightmare would be a godsend.

"Do you wanna go to the beach?" Miriallia suggested.

"Beach?" asked Lacus "there's no beach in the city, is there?"

"Yeah, at least in _this_ city there is."

"Really, where?" asked Lacus "Is it a _real_ beach or is it covered in asphalt?"

"No, it's sand, golden sand."

"Golden?" asked Lacus "I've never seen a beach with _golden_ sand in my life, it's usually dull, tainted and gray."

"So does that mean you'll come with us to see it?" asked Miriallia, a smile appearing on her face.

"Alright" Lacus answered, meeting the brunette smile for smile "I'll go."

"Great" answered Tolle "I talked to your Dad before. He was here before, when you were asleep… but then, when we arrived, he left us here with you. He told us to look after you until you were ready to wake up. As you can see, we left you to rest, figuring that it was better for you to wake up naturally. I don't know where he is now."

"We told him about the beach" Miriallia added "and he said it would be alright if you were to come along. We just suggested it and he agreed that it would be a good idea. He said that you could get your mind off things and take a look around the city all at the same time."

Lacus nodded. "Where is it?" she asked.

"It's about a half hour walk north from here" Tolle answered.

"So when do you wanna get going?" Miriallia asked Lacus.

Lacus shrugged. "I don't mind, what about you?"

"I'm happy to go any time" Miriallia answered.

"Then I guess it's all up to you" Tolle said "Whenever you want to go, we'll be ready.

"Then… do you want to go now?" Lacus asked.

"Now?!!" asked Tolle

"If you want to, why, aren't you ready?"

"No, we're ready anytime. We just thought you'd want some time to get ready first."

"No, I just really have to get out of this house for a while."

"Alright, let's go then."

Lacus nodded and led the other two outside.

As soon as she reached the door, Lacus stopped walking and stepped aside to let her friends walk ahead of her. As soon as they had stepped outside, Lacus followed and closed the door behind her.

She turned around and for the second time in two days, she paused to take in her surroundings with all five of her senses. A gentle but cold breeze wafted past, touching the bare skin of her arms as it went. The cool, crisp air was refreshing to her, she had expected it to chill her but in reality, it wasn't really a bad feeling.

Lacus tilted her head up and looked to the sky. Her view of the atmosphere was obscured however; the sky was tucked up in a blanket of clouds. They were not dark clouds that threatened to rain down on all those down below but they _were_ there and they _did_ seem to cover all the heavens with a gigantic sheet.

"Maybe this _wasn't_ such a good day for this _after all_" Tolle commented.

"Don't worry" Lacus responded "It'll be fine. It's not like it will rain… and even if it does, it's not the end of the world, right? That wouldn't be so bad." In reality, Lacus actually preferred the weather when it was like this.

The greyness of the clouds seemed to reflect the way she felt inside at that very moment. Right then, she may not have been the happiest person alive… but at least she felt at peace with herself. She was with friends, she was awake and alive. She was with those who cared about her.

She knew full well that this was merely a distraction. It only delayed the inevitable self-conflict that was to come. Eventually she would have to confront her actions and seek forgiveness from her fellow survivors.

She didn't want to think about that, she didn't want to worry about the future. There was once a time when she had been so optimistic… what had happened? Why did she feel so empty inside, why had she begun questioning her own existence? Why now of all times?

Once she had been _so_ happy, why couldn't she find that place again, why couldn't she go back, why couldn't she be happy again? _Because that was home… it was destroyed for me…us. It is gone forever, for everyone and it will never come back. Most of us lost our lives and the rest of us lost our homes but material losses are nothing. Many lost their family, how can they…?_

How could _they_ still regard her as a friend, she would never be forgiven, this friendship was a temporary sham… why did they put up this travesty? Did they simply feel sorry for her? Did she even deserve their pity? She should be the one comforting them. She should be the one feeling sorry for them, not the other way around.

She would never be forgiven; such things could never be simply asked for… redemption had to be _earned_. She would have to do _something_, she just didn't know what. What could she do? Was there anything she could use to justify her own survival? Just why was she alive in the first place?

Her breathing quickened and grew shallow. The more times she inhaled the more oxygen she seemed to require and the less she received. The more she breathed, the more she seemed to starve her brain. She tightly closed her eyes and tried to stop the thoughts from poisoning her further.

Today was supposed to get her mind off things.

"Hey!" Tolle said with a concerned tone "Are you alright?"

Lacus' eyes were closed so tightly that it hurt. Behind her closed eyelids she could feel tears forming.

"Lacus look at me" Tolle said.

The girl reluctantly opened her eyes to look at him but quickly closed them again. Her eyes were once more full of tears. She had quickly shut them tight to keep the tears contained within but couldn't stop them from flowing like water from a fountain.

"S-sorry" she murmured, her voice was quiet, barely audible and unsteady. "Today was supposed to be… it was supposed to be like a fun day out but…" she trailed off, leaving her sentence unfinished. What was wrong with her? Every time she saw these two she wound up crying. _They_ were the ones who deserved to be sad, not _her_.

"What is it?" Tolle asked, full of concern.

"Why am I here?" Lacus asked "…I mean, do I even _deserve_ to be alive?" she asked in an unstable tone full of sombre emotion.

"Oh for God's sake!" said Tolle in a rough voice that seemed to be full of rage. "Not this again!" He lifted both his arms and brought them slamming down onto the girl's shoulders.

Lacus flinched from her friend's anger.

"Think about it, Lacus! Think about everyone who had died because of the fire, what would they say if they saw you acting like this, huh? Do you think your mother would be proud of you?"

"Tolle, don't" Miriallia said but her friend paid no attention.

Lacus just stared at the boy with wide eyes.

"Remember those who died, sure, I don't doubt that you're sad but this is a phase, you'll eventually get through it. Think about them, they were cremated where they died. Technically, they don't even have graves… yet somehow by acting this way you are spitting on them… you are spitting on their unmarked graves!"

"But… but why am _I_ here?"

This seemed only to make Tolle even angrier than he already was. He released her shoulders from his grip and with his right hand, struck her across the face. "You don't get it, do you!??" he demanded "I don't ever want to hear this kind of thing from you ever again!" he boomed like an angry father yelling at their child. "I mean, if you really believe that you deserve not to be alive… then I don't know, maybe you need professional help or something."

"But I left…"

"I know, you left them to die, I've heard it all before! You don't need to tell me."

"But… don't you blame me?"

"Why the hell would I blame you?"

"Because…" Lacus trailed off in mid-sentence once again. She paused for a long time, allowing all three of them to be engulfed by a long awkward silence. "I couldn't do anything, I was too scared. I didn't even try."

"So, what does that mean?"

"You mean… you forgive me?"

"Forgive you… you mean… for surviving?"

Lacus nodded.

"No… I can't forgive you for that."

Lacus allowed her head to drop. They hated her. Why then, did she feel so much worse now that it was for certain, perhaps, deep down, she had actually been holding on to the tiniest shredded sliver of hope that they could forgive her and continue to be her friends. Now that that hope was dead…

"Let me explain something to you"

Lacus nodded slowly and with such subtlety that it hardly seemed like she had moved her head at all.

"I lost my entire family… Yeah, it hurts and yeah, I'm _sad _about it but I'm not getting all caught up about it like you seem to be. Tell me, do you really think I would feel better if you had died as well?"

"I don't know" Lacus admitted.

"Well you tell me a reason why you think like that and I'll tell you why I can't forgive you."

After another long period of silence, Lacus still did not answer. She did not know how many minutes had passed by and still, she had no answer to give.

"Very well" Tolle replied. "I'll still tell you why you can't be forgiven."

Lacus looked up.

"There is nothing you can do; there is nothing you could have done. There is no reason for you to beg forgiveness from anyone. You have no need to redeem yourself, there is nothing to forgive. If you had died as well, it would only serve to make us feel worse."

Lacus allowed her eyes to widen. They even seemed to brighten up a bit. Sure, she wasn't smiling but she wasn't crying, either.

"Speaking personally, I'm just glad that you're alive."

"Really?" asked Lacus.

"Yeah" Tolle replied.

"Tolle" Miriallia said. "You shouldn't have done that."

"No" Lacus interjected, shaking her head "he's right."

"If you _are _looking for forgiveness" Tolle said "then there _is_ one thing you can do."

"What?"

"Just stop feeling so sorry for yourself."

"…thanks" Lacus finally said after a long period of silence.

"This is great" Miriallia joked "He yells in your face and you end up thanking him."

Lacus gave a little smile.

"Do you still want to go?" Miriallia asked her.

"Yeah" Lacus answered.

Together, they walked through the city, taking in the sights as they went, not that there was really that much to see… it looked just like your average built up city. There were big built up blocks of industry, commerce and residential areas with roads separating them like the lines drawn on a piece of scrap paper for a quick game of 'tic tac toe'.

They eventually reached the beach and found it completely empty. This was not a bad thing, however. Lacus wasn't sure if she was ready for a large crowd. She walked towards the blue shore lined with _golden_ sand.

She had seen beaches like this in movies but in her hometown, there _were_ no beaches. She had gone with her family for their holiday to stay in a rented house by a beach but that didn't have sand like _this_.

She lowered herself down to the ground and sat down, allowing her legs to stretch out in front of her. She reached down and grabbed a handful of the sand. She lifted up her hand and allowed the sand to slip between her long, slender fingers.

The sand fell into a small pile on her bare leg just above her kneecap. People living in the desert may curse the sand but to Lacus, this was like some unusual beauty of nature… as strange as she knew that sounded.

Tolle and Miriallia sat down on either side of her. "Having fun?" Tolle asked.

Lacus smiled in response but did not say anything; her eyes were content to stare out at the horizon. Even if the cloud-covered sky were not to change, Lacus would like nothing more than to stare strait at that horizon until the end of time.

The grey on blue calmed her just as the perfect blue-on-blue featured in beach landscape paintings would calm anyone and make them think 'oh, how pretty.'

"Thank you… for bringing me here" Lacus said softly.

Minutes passed on the beach… or possibly hours, none of the three friends happened to be wearing a watch and as such, none of them had any idea how much time they were allowing to pass them unnoticed as they simply sat there on the sand, each in the company of the other two.

Lacus looked up at the sky and noticed that it was changing. The clouds were moving, allowing the sunlight and blue sky to show through. This location seemed so tranquil. Lacus felt that she could actually relax here. She no longer had to worry about her own dreams and memories… at least not at that exact moment in time.

For the moment, she was at peace.

The one thing that none of them had counted on was the blonde haired girl now approaching the beach. She walked closer to the shore and noticed three people sitting down watching the ripples on the water.

Two of them had brown hair, not too long but not too short. They were of an average height and build; one was a boy and the other, a girl. They must have been the same age. Sitting between them was another girl, only this one was taller than the others and had a much weedier, slimmer physique. The most noticeable thing about the girl was her hair. It was pink and came all the way down her back. The blonde wondered where she was from… she had never seen anyone like _her_ before. _Could she be one of the refugees?_

That was it, she must have been a refugee from the city that was bombed, the one that had been appearing on the Evening News every night recently and likely would continue to. This girl, the two with her as well, it was likely that they were a selection of the type of people the school principle had told them about. Perhaps she would see more of them at school, they _looked_ about her age.

She walked right up to them and squatted down behind them. "Excuse me" she said, as softly and politely as she could.

The tall, thin girl turned around.

"Ah, I was just wondering, have you seen anyone around here? I'm looking for someone. He's about my age with brown hair."

"Sorry" the girl replied "I haven't seen _anyone_" which was true enough. Lacus hadn't seen anyone from this city at all. This blonde girl was the first new face she had seen since her arrival.

"Would you like some help finding him?" Tolle asked, volunteering not only himself but also his friends. "We could help you look for him."

"Oh, no… don't worry about it; I was just wondering if he has been here."

"It's no trouble; we can help you look for your friend if you want."

"Okay, if it's really alright with all of you… who are you anyway; my first guess was that you were refugees."

"Uh, yeah" Lacus replied "Our homes were lost in that big fire."

"Fire, you mean the bombing? It's been all over the News."

"So then it _is_ true" Tolle said "it _was_ a deliberate attack."

"You can call me Lacus" the pink-haired girl said by way of introduction "and these two are Tolle and Miriallia."

"So then, what's your name?" Tolle asked the blonde.

"I'm Cagalli."

"Alright, just tell us where to look."

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt or anything."

"No, don't be ridiculous, we're happy to help, just tell us what to do."

"Well, that's just it" Cagalli replied "I don't really know where to look; I don't even know where he lives. To tell you the truth, I only met him a few days ago."

"I wouldn't worry about him too much, you're bound to run into him sooner or later" Miriallia said optimistically.

"I don't know" Cagalli replied "You see, I thought we had arranged to meet somewhere but Kira never showed up. Earlier that day, there was a bit of a disagreement about… never mind."

"Disagreement?" asked Lacus.

"He's probably mad at me" Cagalli said, completely ignoring Lacus' one-word question. "It's all my Stepmom's fault."

At this, Tolle seemed to smile.

"What's so funny?"

"That, what you just said. People really _do_ talk like that around here, saying 'Mom' and things like that, It's not like we travelled all that far from our old homes but still, everything here is _so_ different, it's almost like a different country… its all so… _western_."

Miriallia and Cagalli both smiled as well after hearing Tolle's point of view. The only one not smiling was Lacus.

"Anyway…" Cagalli said "like I said, it's all my Stepmom's fault, she can be _so stupid_."

Lacus still did not smile, she simply stood still – by now, all three had rose to their feet to properly greet each other. Lacus simply stood there, silently observing and judging this girl.

"It's her fault, she said something to him and we all got in a huge argument, she's _so_ judgemental, I hate that about her."

_This girl, she's so disrespectful_

"I mean, she opens her big mouth to let out her words of hatred and…"

_You're the one spreading words of hatred… and about your own guardian, your own parent._

"…and then Kira leaves, just to get away from the two of us" Cagalli said.

_Why, just because she's you're stepmother, just because she's not your real birth-mother? Just because you're not related by blood, does that give you the right to talk about her this way, to talk about her behind her back? You talk about her like she's the devil incarnate but really, you are just as bad._

"It's all because of her, _all because of her_. Kira probably hates me."

_He has every right to._

"No, I'm sure he just got sidetracked" Miriallia said.

"Then why haven't I seen him since, even at school. He's probably avoiding me."

"Maybe he's with his other friends Miriallia suggested."

_Maybe he's better off._

"No, I don't think he _has_ other friends."

"Why not?" the brunette asked "you're really telling me that you are this guy's only friend… and that he only met you a few days ago? Why, does he simply prefer his own company, or is there another reason?"

"Who knows? Probably, then again, who can really blame him? Most people stay away from him and those who _do_ approach him, only do so to make his life hell."

"Why?"

"Well, because…" Cagalli said "because he's a coordinator." She opened her mouth to say more but stopped. She looked at Lacus and noticed something about her eyes, in those misted, cloudy blue eyes shone a light of clarity. There was something unwholesome about them… a look of complete dislike. "Is… is something wrong?" she asked.

"How…?" Lacus asked in response.

"What?" Cagalli asked, clearly not understanding.

"How can you?"

"Lacus?" said Miriallia in a concerned tone.

"How can you talk like that, how can you say those things, how can you talk like that about your own mother?"

Miriallia finally realised what was going through Lacus' head.

"What, you're taking _her_ side on this? Do you hate Coordinators too?"

"Of _course_ I don't" Lacus hissed "but that doesn't give you the right to talk about your parents that way."

"You don't know her, she's a manipulative old bat, she even agreed with the views of scumbags like Azrael!"

"I don't care! I try not to hate anything, I always try to give everyone a fair go, I really do but you… you talk about your parents this way… you take them for granted and then when they are gone… what will you do? How will you apologise, how will you make it up, by visiting their grave… or will you dance on it out of spite?"

"No… it's not like that…" Cagalli said in her own defence. "It's not like I hate her, I just…"

"You just hate part of her… you _can't_ do that, you can't hate part of a person without hating the rest of them. She's your step-parent; it's her duty to look after you. Either she loves your father a lot – so much so that she's willing to put up with his selfish brat of a daughter…"

"I'm not!"

"Or there's the more believable conclusion, the one that I think is true."

"What is that?"

"It is obvious, no matter what you think of her, she really _does _care about you."

"Yeah, I can see that she wants to protect me from the _scary_ coordinator who has never done anything to harm me" the blonde said sarcastically. "Look, I can see you don't like me for whatever reason so I think it would do us both good if one of us left. I'm not gonna waste my time trying to change either your or my own point of view. You don't have to help me look for Kira; you can either stay here or go back to wherever you are staying."

"No" Lacus replied "I want to help you find him… but not for your sake, I want to talk to him for myself."

"Why, it's clear that you despise Coordinators."

Lacus' eyes widened. "I… I just want to talk to him."

"Yeah, well maybe he doesn't want to talk to you."

"Please…" Lacus said "I'm sorry about what I said; I just hate it when I hear people talking bad about their parents, taking them for granted, insulting them and criticizing them behind their back. I'm sorry; just… please take me with you."

"No" Cagalli said after waiting a long time in thought "You stay here or go home. I don't want you offending him."

Lacus dropped her gaze, defeated.

"But I'll tell you what, if I find him, I'll tell him about you and if he wants to talk to you I'll try to arrange something, alright?"

"Thanks" Lacus said, still not meeting Cagalli's gaze.

With that being said, Cagalli walked away.

"Nice going, that went _real_ well, It's not like _every_ Coordinator is bad, you know" Tolle said sarcastically before following after Cagalli.

"Lacus…" Miriallia said, concerned for her friend.

"I know" Lacus said "I said things I shouldn't have, I don't know why, I just got an image in my head and that girl – Cagalli, she was talking about her stepmother… I just hate it when people take things for granted. These people seem to have it so easy, like they don't even know what its like to suffer, then they think they can relate to us but until they experience their own personal Hell, they will _never_ understand. I'm sure you fell the same way about me."

"No"

"No, you're not like that, are you? You wouldn't come right out and confront me about it but I'm sure that at least part of you thinks that."

"Are you… gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine" Lacus said, looking away. "I'm going to stay her a little while longer and then go back to the reverend's house. I'll be alright, I remember the way, you go with them."

"Okay" Miriallia said. She stayed for a few minutes longer before leaving her friend.

Lacus waited for Miriallia to leave. She made sure she was alone before sitting down once more. She buried her face in her hands and cried once more.

Why… why was she like this? Why did she act that way toward Cagalli? Why did she nag at her about respecting her elders rather than trying to make friends? Instead of making a friend, she had lost not only a potential friend, but also her two others – Miriallia and Tolle, her two oldest and truest friends, the only ones she had left in the world.

She had known them for as long as she could remember, since early childhood. She doubted that they would want anything to do with her after acting like _that_, why was she such an idiot, was she really that brainless? Why was she such an idiot?

She brought her legs close to her body and hugged her knees, resting her face on the top of her knees.

With gritted teeth and tightly shut eyes, salty teardrops of water escaped the prison-cell doors that tried in vain to keep them all trapped inside.

Why was she like this all of a sudden, she had once been so happy. That feeling seemed for now, so far away, perhaps gone forever. Why hadn't anyone else been affected like this, others had lost more than she had, why didn't they feel this horrible sadness?

Why did she feel so vulnerable? She looked at the waves. They seemed so carefree, free of rotten thought; the waves on the beach didn't have to worry about anything. Why couldn't _she_ have been like that, why couldn't she have been carefree and free-spirited?

She looked up to the clear blue sky above her. Even the sky itself seemed to be feeling better than her. She cursed the cruel nameless deity inside her head. Why had _she_ survived? Why couldn't she have died alongside her mother and everyone else?

For what conceivable reason had fate decided to spare her? What was the reason, was there one? Was there even a point to _anything_, or was the true purpose in life merely to exist?

What was the point? If there was no reason but to exist, why go on living? Why bother to prolong the eventual, inevitable end? She looked up at the sky with a mix of misery and rage. Was there even a god? If there was celestial entity pulling everybody's strings like master puppeteer, why should he be worshiped?

Why was he deserving of such praise? He did nothing but sit back and watch in comedic amusement as his earth monkeys abused, destroyed and devoured one another.

_So, God, do you really exist? Are you up there, are you enjoying my suffering? Why did you spare me? What is the point in prolonging this meaningless existence? Why not just take me now? Why not simply strike me down with a bolt of lightning? Why not kill me now?_

Lacus felt her eyes water yet again and lowered her face back down to rest on her knees. She wanted nothing more than to be held, like a frightened child is held by her… mother.

She wanted nothing more than to be comforted but she no longer had anyone willing to take up the task. Her friends most likely preferred Cagalli and even her father was tired of seeing her cry. He never said it outright but she could tell. She saw it in his eyes, his actions and his voice.

At the thought of someone approaching and seeing the pitiful sight of a lone teenage girl crying on the beach, she hugged her knees tighter than ever and tensed her entire body.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind, the thought of her father seeing her in this deplorable state. _Harden up, I can't keep doing this… it doesn't help anything._

"_Just stop feeling so sorry for yourself."_

_I'm not a little kid anymore, I can't keep crying all the time… I'm not a little girl. It's time to grow up.

* * *

_

_Where am I, how long…?_

She opened her eyes and saw that she could see _no_ better than when they were closed. Where _was_ she and why was there _so_ little light in here.

Yuri was sitting in a wooden chair. She tried to stand but something stopped her from moving. Something was restraining her. She looked down before realising the futility of the act – she could see nothing.

Where the hell was she? Her heart increased the speed of its thumping. How did she get here, who was holding her here, was it the soldier from before? She must have passed out from the pain of being repeatedly shot in non-critical locations.

Her body didn't feel injured; someone_ must_ have been taking care of her, how long had she been here?

Up ahead of her, she saw a tiny light, as if someone were smoking a cigarette under a blanket of complete darkness. Who was that? Was _that_ the person keeping her tied up?

She heard the sound of someone slowly exhaling a large breath full of air. "I see you are awake."

"W-wh-where…" was all that Yuri managed to say.

"You are still in the UEN."

"Why?"

"Because, the war criminal – Azrael – is still on the loose, we can not simply relax until he is brought into our custody and we think that you know where he is."

"No… I… I don't."

"Really, we think you do."

"But I don't."

"We think you are lying."

"I… I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you _are!_"

"I don't. Even if I knew when you took me, I don't even know how much time has passed." She gave a little unseen grin as she said the words "he could me anywhere by now."

The man approached her. "You don't mind if I put this out, do you?" the man asked, referring to the cigarette he was smoking.

"No."

"Good" the man held the cigarette with two fingers and a thumb as he pushed it closer towards his prisoner. He pushed it closer until it seared through her sleeve.

Yuri cringed slightly as she felt a burning sensation as the burning paper was pressed hard against the skin of her arm.

"Perhaps you would tell me if you knew what charges had been laid against you."

The air in Yuri's lungs froze. Had charges been made against her… for aiding a known terrorist? Was Azrael a terrorist? He led the anti-Coordinator movement during the last war. "What… charges?"

She heard the man laugh. "You helped Azrael escape, you are concealing information, you are perverting the course of justice… and you are now a traitor. Your face will be on the evening news tonight, just think how proud of you your mother and father will be."

Yuri froze once more. She hated the mention of her parents, they wouldn't care about her, they always knew she was a failure, they always knew she had no real future. They didn't care about her, they didn't fucking care.

"What… is going to happen to me?"

"I already told you, little girl. You are a traitor. You will be put to death."

"De-ath…?"

"Yes" the man said, sounding very amused.

"But… I am a civilian!"

"So what, don't tell me you actually believed in all that bullshit about no death penalty for civilian court cases, did you? That was just for the public eye. Lies like those are just to keep the feminists in line. The state still continues to execute criminals."

"No, you're lying. They wouldn't do that! People would find out."

"Who, what people?" the man spat "those who brake the law waive all their rights. Nobody ever finds out because nobody looks, nobody asks. Nobody gives a fuck about the scum rotting in our overcrowded prisons."

"Please… I haven't done anything!"

"Really, you seriously expect us be believe that shit?" the man laughed.

"It's true! I _did_ run into Azrael, but I _didn't_ willingly or intentionally help him in any way. He took me hostage and stole my Cardkey, he took it by force. I don't deserve this!"

"Oh, yeah, you expect me to believe that? When I shot you, you called out to him. Why?"

"I didn't, I called out for help. I wanted someone to help me."

"Perhaps, or perhaps you wanted Azrael to jump out and save you, perhaps he told you to lie to us. If you help us, we will clear your name, you can't ask fairer than that. Azrael is a scumbag, pure and simple. He didn't jump out to help you because he doesn't care about you. Don't you get it? He's just looking out for himself, he doesn't give a shit about you or anyone else, why give up your life in order to help such a man?"

The man walked out of the room. Just as he was reaching what Yuri assumed to be the door, two more men walked in. "Interrogate her" he instructed. "I want to know where Azrael's headed. Use whatever means you wish, whether you think they are necessary or not. Rough her up a bit, have some fun… torture the stupid bitch."

* * *

**Alright, I have a few things to say about this chapter. First, it did not come out at all how I first envisioned it. Also, before you say anything about what I've done to Lacus' character, keep in mind that she is not herself, I'm not trying to make her into an alternate Fllay or anything, She's just grieving... and taking it quite hard, I may add. Her character will likely change over the course of the story. Also, I was origonally going to have less of Lacus and more of Yuri but it just didn't work out like that. I don't know how long it will be for my next update but I want to work on another of my stories - Thy Forsaken Soul - for a while so who knows when I'll come back to this... hopefully it will not be too long, I really can't say.**


	8. Raped by Fate

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sewn Under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed

**Author's Notes:** This chapter's title may not seem very fitting, regardless of whether you like it or not but it was either this or some kind of play on the word escape. I thought this sounded better. I apologize in advance for what you are about to read. I planned parts of this out months ago. Because of this, I have forgotten some things and the whole thing just didn't come out quite as good as I would have hoped and I stopped it sooner than origonally inteded. I'm not particularly proud of the way it all ended up. I think it is alright, just not as good as it perhaps could have been. The entire chapter is one long action sequence – some of which was inspired by playing 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' as a scout excelling in computer use. As you can see, action sequences are not necessarily my strong point. Maybe you are getting sick of all Yuri and Azrael's screen time, maybe not. There _is_ a reason for this. No, I'm not playing favorites. I just need certain things to happen before the plot can continue and there's really nothing for Lacus or Kira to do for the rest of the week.

**Phase 08 – Raped by Fate**

Trapped in this room, he was. Trapped inside by an unlocked door, the man tightened his fist. His muscles tensed as his body clenched, his anger and frustration rising to the smooth, unrippled surface like air pockets in an untrained syringe.

More than one gunshot had gone off in the last minute. Just what the hell was going on?

He was pacing now.

He was unable to vent his frustrations in any way. _This is all the fault of them – those self-righteous puppets at the top._

The man sat down with his back to the only door and placed his blond head in his hands. "Yuri" he mouthed. _Damn that idiot. Why couldn't she just run away? She should have been faster. She should have gotten away sooner._ It was her fault, wasn't it? He told her to run but she was so caught up in the prospect of helping him out that she didn't think of the consequences.

Now, she was as good as dead – it was _her_ fault alone, was it not? _There's nothing I can do about it now, is there?_

On one hand, he could rush out and kill the soldier with the gun… assuming there was only _one_ out there. What if there were two… or three? What then? "Damn" he whispered to no one.

"_Somebody… please… somebody… somebody help me!"_

_What can I do?_ Damn, this was frustrating. Azrael was used to always getting his way, even if he had to fight for it but the situation he was currently in… it was not something he was accustomed to. _Is her sacrifice really so great? Maybe… it __**is**__ necessary. She needs to be captured and die in order for me to make my escape._ Yes, that was the way he would see it. That was likely the way Yuri would see it, also. _As long as she __**does**__ die, if they torture and interrogate her before I get out of here…_ the blond man was unable to finish his sentence. He knew where he was going with _that_ thought but he just couldn't bring himself to say it – even inside his head.

_Yuri, at least hold out until I can get away. Don't talk until then. You do at least that much and you'll have my respect._

It was time to move.

Azrael silently opened the wooden door and peeked outside, moving slowly until he was sure it was safe. Outside in the dead hallway… it _was_ a dead hallway. There was not one humble living soul to be seen. _Good_, Azrael said inside his head. _Maybe this won't be so hard after all._ His usual mask of arrogance was attaching itself to the skin of his face.

The man had two choices. He decided to head south. He walked down a labyrinth of hallways, increasing his speed as he went until he had broken into an all out sprint.

_This is too easy, where are all the guards?_

Azrael ducked into a nearby room, the door opened from the shear force of his body slamming against it.

_Something just doesn't feel right._

Azrael's suspicions were correct and in order, the truth of which confirmed itself with the sound of approaching footsteps.

Azrael allowed the guard to pass by his second hiding place. The idiotic soldier didn't even bother to search the room. _Are they really looking for me? They're not doing a very good job, are they?"_

"_Don't move!"_

−_Shit!_

"Hand's on your head… Now!"

_Wait a minute_ Azrael thought as a revelation suddenly hit him with all the force of a falling anvil from a child's Saturday morning cartoon show. A smirk played itself on the blond man's face. _I know that voice._

"I said now!"

"Of course, I know who's in charge here" Azrael said amusedly. He placed his hands on his head and turned to face the man behind him.

"Hey! I didn't tell you to move!" the man said. He was holding the standard issue pistol of the Atlantic Federation in both hands.

"It's very cowardly to shoot a man from behind, did you know that? Now you don't have to worry."

"How dare you preach ethics" the soldier said bitterly.

"You served under me at one point, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I was appalled at some of the decisions you made, especially the nuclear strike."

"Is that so… if I'm such a monster…"

"You are!" the soldier cut in. We've been ordered to capture you alive if at all possible."

"You want me alive so that I may be executed after a phony trial? What a joke."

"That may be so… but we are also authorised to shoot you on sight."

"If that is the case" Azrael said, slowly walking towards the soldier in an intimidating fashion "then why have you not yet fulfilled your civic duty, hmm? Why have you not killed me yet?"

"Get back!" the soldier ordered, although by the sound of his voice, he had lost the authority."

"I seem to be running into a lot of old friends today" Azrael said, changing the subject as if the two were chatting over lunch in a café.

"You once may have had friends in high places but not anymore. They have all disowned you by now."

"And how about you, my old friend… or should I say my _young_ friend?" the man said with an evil smirk. A brilliant scheme was hatching itself behind his azure ocular orbs.

"We've _never_ been friends" the soldier spat.

"Then there's no reason for you not to shoot me." The soldier's brown eyes widened and his hands tightened around the pistol's grip. His index finger curled around the trigger and gently squeezed it.

"Go on, do it. The trigger's not too tight for you, is it?" The trigger had been depressed enough for the hammer to pull back. The soldier stood perfectly still, like a statue, as though afraid to continue. "What's wrong, why are you hesitating? Kill me, do it. Penetrate my skull with your bullet and splatter my brain against the walls. Do it, now."

The soldier shook his head and loosened his hold on the gun. "I-I can't." The soldier didn't even notice when Azrael pried the weapon from his loose grasp.

"Why couldn't you bring yourself to do it?"

"I-I don't know."

"Why don't you come with me then? I'm always on the lookout for new allies."

"Why?" the soldier asked, his voice was uneven but not quite on the verge of cracking. "So you can toss me aside when it suits you like you did to that red headed tour guide? No thanks, I'd rather die than be used as a scapegoat by you.

"Are you sure?" the soldier nodded. Azrael let out a sigh.

"You'd be better off killing me here and now."

"…okay." The soldier lifted his head but was unable to react before the gun fired.

_Was he seriously ready to die?_ Probably not but nothing could be done about it now. _Oh well, he's dead now. There's nothing to be done about it._ "What a worthless excuse for a soldier. He shouldn't have frozen up like that." Of course, Azrael had known that it would go like that all along, he'd seen that soldiers interactions before. He simply couldn't handle under pressure. "Farewell… my friend.

* * *

−Down

−Deep down, underground

−Down, down, many floors below

−Down, down, underground

−In the underground levels he waited

Far away, deep down below the blond man stood the proud man – the chairman of the United Earth Nations. Behind him walked six soldiers, three on the left and three on the right, walking in two single file lines. Between these six soldiers walked their prisoner – a crimson haired girl wearing a plain white blouse with a red lace ribbon scarf, red blazer and red miniskirt – the uniform of the UEN tour guide. The guide and her escort approached the chairman and stopped just behind him. "You, tour guide" the man said. He turned around to face her "Do you know what is going to happen to you now?" He had neither concern nor emotion present in his tone.

"You are going to have me killed, right?" Yuri replied, trying her best to keep her voice clear of fear. She thought she was doing a fair job, until the Chairman laughed in her face.

"That is right!" he said coldly. "Unless you help us, this is your last chance, tell us where he is! Lead us to Azrael and you can go free." Yuri shook her head.

"I won't give him up to you."

"Why are you protecting him, do you even know? Why would you risk your life for such a monster?" Yuri chose to ignore the man's comment.

"I will _not_ tell you. Even if I wanted too, there is no way I could."

"Why not?!" the infuriated chairman demanded.

Yuri let out a superior laugh. "You don't get it, do you? I don't even _know_ where he is. I have _no_ idea. You've succeeded in wasting your time on me, time which could have been better harnessed in looking for him." She laughed again.

"One way or the other" the Chairman said without loosing his composure "someone _will_ have been executed by the end of today. If he comes to save you, we _will_ kill him."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Like I said" the Chairman laughed "Someone _will_ be executed. One person out of the three of us _will_ die. If that bastard somehow escapes and the opportunity does not arise for me to kill him then I will instead kill you."

"For what, being in the wrong place at the wrong time?" the redhead asked. This was so unfair but if it was for that man…

"For aiding him, we will _not_ forgive you. You are a traitor and will be seen as such until Azrael is found." The chairman turned around once more and began walking. "Bring her" he ordered the soldiers.

"Sir!" the six men replied in unison, following after their superior. The two men at the back kept their rifles trained on their prisoner to ensure that she kept walking with them and did not attempt any kind of misguided escape.

"Damn!" the blond man cursed loudly in frustration. He angrily mashed his hand onto the computer panel. Why wasn't this working? He had Yuri's cardkey, why couldn't he access even the most basic of computer functions? _Unless… _perhaps Yuri had been locked out of the system.

Azrael turned around and his eyes were drawn to the corpse of his former friend. Would that person possibly have a cardkey of his own? The blond man knelt down to examine the dead soldier's remains and found it clipped to his belt.

Azrael took the security pass and inserted it into the computer's receptacle. Nothing happened for a few minutes… then a message popped up on the computer screen.

"Welcome: Please enter password: __________"

_Do I know that man? If I do, then…_ Azrael pressed the enter key without typing a single character. The message disappeared and seconds later, a menu popped up. Azrael smirked. _That man could never remember passwords._ He scrolled down the list until he came to something of interest. "Hmm" he grunted with interest, his upper lip curling.

Yuri had walked with the men and had arrived in one of the hangers that Azrael had told her about. She was _so_ close to escape and yet she couldn't. The soldiers would shoot her if she did as much as move.

"I know what you're thinking" the Chairman said. Yuri was so deep in thought that his words caused her to jump. "You would so much like to board one of those cargo shuttles and escape, wouldn't you?" Yuri looked at him. "When Azrael is slain, perhaps it would be best for you to disappear. I'm sorry but you will not be able to see your family again." Yuri looked away from the man.

_So what, why should it bother me whether or not I see them again, they never gave a damn about me._

"Of course, if Azrael escapes, you won't have to worry for much longer, will you?" Yuri's eyes narrowed in frustration and anger at her own uselessness. She was so helpless.

Azrael had managed to access the security cameras and was now looking into the next room – the current floor's armoury. One room on each floor was used as a weapon cache, one as a security room and two were used as barracks'. The term was not used in referral of a training facility, more as a lounge for on duty soldiers who were not currently standing guard or patrolling the halls.

Azrael was able to open the door to the armoury from the terminal and after crossing the empty grey hall, the greed in his eyes were enough to show the fruits of his patience. The man walked into the room. It must have been four square metres in size, every length of wall was covered by shelves and the floor was covered in neatly organised containers. The room was filled with nothing more than body armour, weapons and ammunition.

Azrael picked up a tactical armour vest which he slipped on over his suit and tightened until it could no longer slip. He put on a gas mask and an advanced combat helmet – _just in case_ he reasoned. He put an ammo belt on over the vest and packed it with as many magazines as it would carry – which turned out to be twelve.

The man picked up an M4A1 carbine from a nearby gun rack, switched it to full automatic and loaded it. His eyes were also drawn to two final objects – attachments for the gun he now held in his hands. The first was a bipod. He figured that it may come in handy to help with accuracy should he get forced into a corner. The second attachment was an M320 Grenade Launcher. He equipped both of these attachments onto the gun and went back to the room with the security terminal.

Just before he left, he stopped and picked up two more guns – a pair of pistols in holsters. He attached these to the ammo belt and hurried back.

Azrael set up the carbine on the desk in the middle of the room with the barrel facing the door. Using the computer terminal, he closed the door and activated the emergency lockdown system. Instantly, a shrill alarm sounded at a high frequency that pierced all other radio waves in the air and caused eardrums to bleed puss.

Even through the thick concrete walls of the massive complex, the alarm was still deafening.

Once more, Azrael's eyes were drawn to the computer screen.

−Emergency Lockdown System stage two: locking all security doors and blocking all exits

The sound of clanging steel rung in the blond man's ears and when it died down, another message flashed onto the screen.

−Emergency Lockdown System stage three: venting cyanide gas

Azrael's eyes widened and his grin widened in glee. He had _no_ idea about any of this. This was so… entertaining. He toggled through the security cameras and saw that a large group of soldiers were heading in his direction. "Very well then, it's about time. If you're ready to die then come and get me."

He heard several explosions and the door began to dent inward. Azrael drew both pistols and pointed them in the direction of the door. This was bringing back memories of the past war.

Just then, the door collapsed in and the highest ranking soldier gave the order. "Engage at will!"

The soldiers all fired their guns at Azrael, who dropped down behind the desk to avoid the machinegun fire, using the oak item of furniture as cover. Before too long there was a pause in the gun shots – probably due to the soldiers reloading; the guards stationed here tended to be trigger happy. As soon as he had his chance Azrael reached up and launched the grenade from the M320 at the soldiers. Before the dust and smoke had a chance to clear, the blond man squeezed the trigger and sent a spray of bullets at the surviving soldiers. He had no idea how many there were – it wasn't worth the risk to look at the computer screen panel in the wall behind him – but he felt certain that he had at least managed to take out the majority of them.

"Alright men, lets do this together" ordered the officer in charge – probably a lieutenant. They usually kept one officer of that rank in each barracks. "Reload weapons and wait on my command."

−"Yes sir!" replied one soldier.

−"Sir!" replied another.

−"Sir!"

−"Sir!"

_So_ – Azrael concluded – _there are four of them left, not including the officer. __**I**__ can take them out._

"So, Azrael" the officer said "Are you willing to surrender?"

_What the fuck? Surrender, what's the point? Are they gonna let me go if I do? Are they gonna give me a lighter sentence? I don't see that happening._

"Well? What is your answer?"

"Got to hell!"

The officer sighed. "Fire!" he ordered and once more, Azrael's hiding place was riddled with bullets.

"Standing still?" Azrael said, speaking over the sound of gunfire "What kind of tactic is that? What are we, back in the time of muskets and bayonets? I guess you guys haven't seen too much action in the past decade, huh?" he instantly popped up and began firing his pistols at the men, taking each one out with two shots each. "You guys _seriously_ underestimate the power of flanking!" he dropped down and grabbed the M4A1, pulling it out of sight as he hastily tried to reload it.

"Don't be a fool Azrael, you are out of ammunition" the officer said – he was still alive; he was the only one still standing. "Don't make me kill you. Do the right thing, surrender!"

"Fuck you! You must be crazy! Why should I do something like that, I have the upper hand here, you are on your own and I'm a veteran commander!"

"How will you fight me with no bullets? This is your last chance."

"I have loads of ammo left. I should be the one offering _you_ the chance to live!"

"Nonsense, those side arms you are using are heavy pistols – restricted for commissioned officers. They fire large solid bullets made of pure platinum – capable of piercing through most conventional body armour. The price of this extra firepower is the limited ammunition. Each magazine only holds four rounds. You're all out."

"That's a nice assumption you have there. What a shame, you are already dead if you're wrong. Are you ready to stake your life on that assumption?"

"Are you?" the officer asked, advancing on the cornered man and placing the barrel of his own heavy pistol to said man's forehead. "This is the same type of pistol. The bullet will pierce a hole in your skull, penetrate your brain and still have enough velocity to push out through the back of your head. Now… are you ready to surrender?"

Azrael had managed to get the carbine loaded without the officer realising. _Alright, gun's in place, idiot's in position, my fake bluff worked and the ammunition's loaded. Now just pull the trigger and hope like fuck the damn thing doesn't jam._

"Well, would you really rather die… or have you come to your senses? I don't _want_ to be the one to take your life but I will if I have to. Are you ready to give up now?"

Azrael pulled the trigger, shooting the entire clip into the poor officer's body, his only crime; being on duty at the wrong time. Bullet casings littered the floor as gunshots riddled the dying officer's flesh full of holes. "Does that answer your question?" he asked darkly.

* * *

"Sir!" an apprehensive soldier hollered as he came sprinting into the hanger bay.

"Yes, what is it?" the Chairman asked calmly.

"Security Lockdown's been activated!"

"What!!?" the Chairman cried.

"Yes, we suspect it was Azrael. _Her" _he pointed his index finger rudely in Yuri's face. "Cardkey was used to gain access to level S1. We managed to block her from the system but that didn't help matters any. A second Cardkey was used."

"Whose?"

"Ensign Hargthern; his older brother is an ace pilot of the Atlantic Federation."

"I see… how far along is the lockdown? I know it can't be stopped once started but can we do _anything_?"

"No, it's too late. It's already in stage three. All our sentries and guards on the upper levels excluding those in the Barracks' must be dead. What a horrible way to go."

"I see" was all the Chairman could say. _Damn you Azrael!_ "Come with me!" he ordered the man. He turned around. "You two soldiers in the back stay here and keep guard over _her_! The rest of you come with me. We're going to head him off. He's likely going to come in this direction to try and escape. If we're lucky, this may just be the day we finally bring that genocidal maniac to justice!" he sprinted out of the hanger, followed closely by the soldiers excepting the two assigned to guarding their prisoner.

* * *

−Emergency Lockdown System stage three: complete

−Opening all security doors

−Shutting off alarm

−Emergency Lockdown status lifted

Azrael accessed the main security system.

−security status: half_watch

−downgrading…

−security status: all_clear

­−accessing security cameras

−deactivate camera: Range: all

−Processing…

−Warning: all security systems offline

The blond man left the Cardkey inside the computer and left the room. He paused as he came to the corpse pile. He leaned down and relieved the men of their ammunition and picked up a secondary ammo belt the held up to nine forty millimetre grenades. The man scavenged for bodies to feed his stock of ammo until he couldn't carry any more and then headed downward.

_All shuttles leaving earth are grounded until further notice except the mining ship in Hanger bay 4B bound for Heliopolis II_

Azrael had looked into the hangers using the security terminal. His information had been correct. There _was_ a secret underground hanger. _4B, where could it be?_ It would likely be guarded. Azrael smirked at the opposition he would be likely to face. _No matter, I'll easily blow them away._

He came to a barracks and opened the door.

"Hey, it's him… Open fire!"

Azrael's grin widened at the response he was getting. He fired the forty millimetre fragmentation grenade from his M320 and quickly loaded another. He did the same to the floor's other barracks and headed down once again.

Each underground level seemed to have an identical layout and the further down he went, the more guards there were waiting for him. It was almost as if they… _Oh shit! Do they know I'm coming? Did that bitch tell them everything? No… maybe it was the alarm._ "Then so be it, bring it on. I'm ready for a fight." Azrael increased his running speed and his voice raised itself involuntarily from the adrenaline rush the situation was giving him. "Bring it on, Mister _Chairman!_ Throw everything you have at me, I'll mow them all down like common garden weeds!"

Azrael ran down ten levels, dispatching every soldier that came into his sight. He didn't even give the majority of them a chance to react to his presence. His supply of ammunition was beginning to run low for both weapons and fatigue was building.

"Azrael; stop where you are, your rampage ends here!"

It was a guard, above him stood a large white sign on the wall.

−Hangers A-D

"Let me through" Azrael demanded of the guard.

"And if I refuse?"

Azrael fired his last grenade at the guard. It flew strait for him, decapitating him. The blond man walked ahead without giving a second thought to the ill fate of the soldier. "I have precious little time remaining. I can't waste it dealing with pathetic pieces of crap like these."

The man was about to walk strait ahead when he noticed something about the dead soldier's M4. It had an attachment like Azrael's but different, like a second barrel. He ripped out the grenade launcher and bipod from his M4A1, took the attachment from the guards Carbine and equipped it to his. He searched the soldier for ammunition, filling his ammo belt when his hand stumbled across a magazine for the second barrel. The man loaded both parts of the gun and proceeded to hanger B.

There were more guards down here than there were in the upper levels. This was an excellent chance to test out his new toy. There were three guards in his sight, all charging at him. Azrael fired a series of quick bursts from his M4A1 to deal with the first two. For the third, he took a little longer to carefully aim before firing the second barrel. It acted just like a magazine-fed shotgun.

The blond man's unwilling test-subject let out an agonised groan. He was still alive, but just barely. Azrael walked right past him, his thoughts on the gun's new attachment. It was certainly a powerful gun on its own and it still had four shots left.

He was so distracted that it surprised him when he heard a door closing. He looked ahead and into the eyes of the _Chairman_.

"Muruta Azrael… You must pay with your life for all the blood you have spilled during the last war."

"Is that what your puppets have been trying to do to me?"

"How many of the UEN's finest soldiers _have_ you killed today?"

"_Those_ were the finest you had to offer? Pathetic, they were nothing more than cattle and I butchered them as such. As far as I know, they must all be dead."

"Kill him" the Chairman ordered.

As Azrael readied his weapon, the four soldiers charged at him with their guns firing. The blond man easily managed to take out the first with a quick burst of machinegun fire. The second and third would have gone down just as easily, had they not been moving around so much. They certainly weren't making this easy for him.

He saw the last soldier, standing still, aiming at him with a rifle. Instinctively, Azrael fired at the man with his second barrel and finished him off with a burst from the primary barrel.

He ejected the near empty magazine and replaced it with a fresh one. He sent a spray of bullets at the two soldiers whom were serpentine back and forth around him to avoid his shots. He managed to wound one of them. He finished him off with the second barrel. _One left._

As for the last soldier, he went down much the same way as the one before him. Azrael emptied the entire magazine into the soldier before reloading and turning his attention to the Chairman. "This is Check" he said "All of your pawns have been taken and I have you in a corner. "This is Checkmate, I've won!" To his surprise, the Chairman barked a loud harsh laugh.

"Do you think this is it? Do you really expect me to just let you live now? Hah! I have no intention of simply letting you go without a fight!"

"Such a waste of life… I would have let you live. After all, I didn't want to screw the world up _too_ much. I guess it's a little late for that now."

The Chairman smiled, drawing a heavy pistol – the same kind used by the top officers of the Atlantic Federation with the four shot magazine. "So what's your interest in that tour guide?" he asked casually. Azrael shrugged. "Well, her fate may well be decided by our little battle here. If I kill you then she will go free. If I don't return… she will be put to death."

"Really?"

"Yes, there are two guards with her now. If they see you, they will instantly shoot her."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to kill you and then kill them."

"Oh, you think it will be as easy as all that?"

"That's what I'm going to find out" Azrael said with a slight smirk. He pulled the trigger of his Carbine, forcing the Chairman to dive for cover. As he did so, Azrael ran and picked up a pistol from one of the dead soldiers.

"So it's a duel then!" the Chairman said. "Your gun caries twice the number of rounds but mine is twice as lethal."

"That's right" Azrael answered.

Without warning, the Chairman jumped out of his hiding place and fired a shot at Azrael. The bullet went right through his arm and out the other side, narrowly missing the bone, tearing strait through flesh as though it were wet paper. The man let a short groan of pain escape him before firing two shots at the Chairman. Both of them hit him in the space between the shoulder and the neck. The Chairman raised the gun a little, aiming for his enemy's head but Azrael managed to shoot the gun from his hand before he got the chance to pull the trigger.

Azrael threw off his helmet and gasmask; and wiped the sweat from his face. He picked up the M1A4 and approached the Chairman. "You were first to draw blood but my shots were more lethal… funny that. You probably thought it would be the other way around. He left the man there and took a Cardkey from one of the soldiers. He swiped it through the lock to open the door but nothing happened.

"That won't work" the Chairman informed him. "Those men have all been blocked from the system until further notice… for security reasons, in case they were killed by you. You won't be able to use their Cardkey's to open the door."

"How about yours?"

"Sure, Mine works… but there's no way in hell I'm going to open the door for _you_."

"Then give me the Cardkey and I'll let _myself_ out of here. That's all I want. You'll never see me again."

"Why should I?"

Azrael pointed the barrels of his gun at the man's head. "There's always the alternative" he slyly threatened.

"Go ahead. I'd sooner die then lend assistance to _you_."

"I'll take it from you anyway. Will you give it up willingly or do I have to snatch it from your dying body? If you're alive than at least you can still lead the UEN."

The Chairman paused to consider this. "…fine" he grudgingly agreed, thrusting the card into the air.

"Now, was that really so hard?" Azrael asked. He swiped it through the lock and the door opened. He tossed the card to the ground and walked through into the hanger.

_Hanger B_ he said inside his head as he passed by doors in the hallway. He saw a sign by the nearest door.

−Hanger B: Docking Bays 1-4

_In there_ he decided. He looked from one bay to the other. _Docking bay one…Bay two…Bay three…Bay four…_He decided to walk down Docking Bay Four when he was distracted by the colour red.

"Mister… Azrael"

"Yuri…"

"Don't move, Azrael!" threatened one of the two soldiers. He had his rifle trained on Yuri. "Take one more step and I'll kill her. Drop your weapon."

Azrael sighed. "Alright" he said, dropping the M1A4. "Don't shoot her. I… Surrender."

"W-what are you doing?" Yuri asked.

Azrael's eyes narrowed and he placed his hands halfway up. "Trust me" he muttered "I'm saving your life."

"Good" one of the soldiers said, approaching the blond man. He was almost in arms reach when Azrael acted. He quickly pulled out a concealed pistol – the one he had used to duel the Chairman – and shot the soldier in the face. He shot him once more to ensure his fate.

"Jean!" the second soldier screamed. He was unable to avenge his comrade however, for soon, he too fell and lost his life to Azrael.

"That's two more" the blond man said.

"Azrael…" Yuri breathed, a smile of relief appearing on her face. "It's all okay. It's gonna be alright. You can get away now. It all worked out after all."

"Well" Azrael said in his own charismatically superior way "was there really any doubt?"

Yuri's smile widened. She found his confidence inspiring.

−Bang!

Azrael felt the projectile hit him in the back and dig deep inside him. It probably would have gone all the way through him if not for the vest he was wearing. The insufferable pain from his wound was matched in Yuri's eyes. Her smile had faded to be replaced by a look of horror. "Mi-mister Chairman" she mouthed in disbelief.

"Azrael" demanded an infuriated voice from behind "You arrogant bastard. You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now I _will_ bring you to justice. It's no less than you deserve!" He fired the gun into Azrael again.

The blond man found it difficult to breath and his legs began to buckle beneath him. He was going down. Was this the end?

"Azrael…" He saw Yuri mouth his name but heard nothing. He had been deafened. Time had slowed to an immeasurable crawl. His entire body was racked with exhaustion and he felt like lying down. He doubted that he had the strength and resolve to continue fighting. This day had taken a lot out of him.

_Yuri…what can I…?_

Was this it, the end of his road? What about Yuri, would she be killed too?

−…

−…

−……

−…_damn_

_

* * *

  
_

_**As I said, action sequences are not my forte so if anyone has any ideas/advice the feel free to deposit your knowledge. You may have noticed that Azrael is acting out of character. There is a reason for this. You probably know this but he is not the Azrael from Seed, he is his descendant, since this is an AU story set in the future. I wasn't going to give him the same first name but I couldn't think of another one for him. It may also interest you to know that I have been thinking about the future of this story. I have come up with a few ideas for pilots but I'm still having trouble coming up with the new prototype Gundams. I have a few ideas but I still need a few more for the UEN (the Earth Forces of this story.) The PLANTs will only have one new model (at least to begin with) but it will be versatile. The way I have it planned, the next update will likely be a short flashback chapter detailing a little of Lacus' background.**_


	9. A Place Once Called Home

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sown under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed

**Author's Notes:** Similarly to the previous chapter, this one didn't come out as well as I expected. There is also more angst than I intended. That kind of thing always seems to happen to me, like chapter two of 'Disturbance in the Peaceful Era.' This was supposed to give a little background on Lacus… which I suppose it kind of does, if only a little.

**Epilogue I: Reaping the Fruits of Crisis**

**CE 270:** Ten years have passed since the end of the Last Bloody Valentine War and subsequently the fall and dismantlement of both the PLANTs and the neutral nations – the last Nations of Earth to remain out of the Earth Alliance: The Orb Union, The Equatorial Union and the Kingdom of Scandinavia. Because of this, the Earth at last had peace.

**Phase 09 – A Place Once Called Home**

_CE 259 – 260_

With the fall of Orb and the destruction of the Plants, there were few places for Coordinators to call home. During the final conflict the number of Nations willing to accept Coordinator refugees decreased and the number of Neutral nations went down.

By the end of the conflict it had gotten to the point where every nation was a member of the Earth Alliance and an enemy of Zaft. Very few countries stayed out of the alliance for fear of having their land decimated and in the end, only Three nations had remained neutral, opting to stay out of the fighting: Scandinavia and Orb – both were invaded, their land and resources distributed between The Atlantic and Eurasian governments. The President of the Atlantic federation took Orbs land for himself, seeking the nation's technology and military facilities.

After these two political powers had been vanquished, the Alliance turned its attention to the other two thorns still present in the bed of roses it called a "Blue and Pure World."

The Equatorial and South African unions – whom had allied themselves with the PLANTs − were vanquished soon after. The Republic of East Asia would have been next, had they not surrendered – seeing what had happened to the two other neutral nations whom dared to oppose the Alliance.

With all 'selfish, despicable, cowardly third-party nations' out of the way, the Atlantic Federation's orbital fleets formed a protective blockade around the planet's surface, preventing Zaft forces – as well as civilians – from entering or leaving the planet. All non-military or trade shuttles had been grounded indefinitely – a status that would remain standing for the next decade.

While Zaft's orbital forces were engaging the Atlantic Federation's blockade, they were unable to penetrate it and thus, were unable to send down soldiers or Mobile Suits to reinforce the land they held on Earth.

−Their occupational forces were on their own.

With the blockade in place, the Earth Alliance's other members were sent to crush Zaft's hold on the surface and wipe them out, taking back the entirety of Earth in the name of the Alliance.

The Republic of East Asia, the United States of South America, the South African Union, the Eurasian Federation and the Atlantic Federation's ground forces; these were the nations that remained to attack the Zaft forces on Earth.

Zaft had control of two continents: Africa and Australia but it was not long before the Entire Earth was under the control of the Earth Forces. With that done, they at last turned their attention to space.

After many battles, the plants attempted to negotiate a ceasefire but the Earth Forces would not allow it. By that time, the entire military had been put under the control of one man: Muruta Azrael – a man who not only shared a name with the original leader of the Anti-Coordinator Eco Terrorist organisation 'Blue Cosmos;' the man also shared the original's prejudice. Zaft tried one last time to negotiate but Azrael – discontent with accepting even their unconditional surrender – launched a nuclear strike on the PLANT homeland – obliterating it completely and mercilessly. At last… after so much time had passed and so many sacrifices had been made, the seemingly everlasting conflict finally came to an end… only after the extermination of the Coordinator.

* * *

_CE 270_

Ten years after the war ended, Coordinators were still living on Earth, coinciding along with Naturals, albeit not in what one could consider harmony but still, coexisting nonetheless.

Ever since the war, space travel had been prohibited for all civilians and everyone living away from earth has been required to return to the planet's surface. The Earth Alliance has since been reorganised and renamed the United Earth Nations. Each nation elected a chief representative and amongst them, a Chairman was selected to lead the world. This is the new system of government in place. All nations of earth are in the UEN and as such, there has been no more war.

Of course, Azrael's plan hadn't been flawless, far from it. Coordinators still continue to exist but there has been _no_ evidence of ZAFT remnants and generally speaking, many survivors of the war have been living quietly and secretly amongst the Naturals. They could be anywhere, perhaps even in ones own neighbourhood… but the vast majority of them live within three cities.

Azrael's plan had _not_ been perfect in that several Coordinators had managed to survive and now lived on earth… but that did not matter. With cloning and gene manipulation technology now illegal once more, their kind would eventually die out like a flame once smothered and starved of all oxygen.

With their homeland gone, Coordinators have been forced to live on Earth… not at all a simple feat, considering they had lost the previous war. There would certainly be tension. In fact, many nations kept their biased beliefs, refusing immigrants and refugees simply for the lone fact that they _were_ Coordinators. Only three Cities openly accepted Coordinators. Three cities located in Eurasian territory on the continent of North America. These three cities were: Hoffen, Xerucis and Yasura.

Yasura's citizens had actually been pretty slack when it came to persecuting Coordinators and for this they had suffered the ultimate punishment – total destruction. Their city had burned to the ground

* * *

"…I think that's everyone" the teacher said, returning to her place at the front of the classroom. She looked up and down at the teenagers sitting at their desks. "Does everyone have their test?" There was a murmur that rumbled throughout the group but nobody implied that they were without their paper.

"So how'd you do?" a blonde girl asked her neighbour. Her eyes had drifted to the paper on the next desk. They came to rest on a marking – the final grade. A letter inside a circle written in red ink, her magenta eyes widened in recognition and jealousy at the grade. "Humph" she moaned in feign envy. You got another A!" The girl's eyes darted up to her neighbour's face.

−Pale complexion, pink hair, blue eyes

The blonde looked back to her own paper. "You're so lucky Lacus; you _always_ get 'A's!"

"What about you?"

The blonde snorted in self scorn. "I barely even passed" she said placidly.

"But what grade did you get?"

"A 'C-.'"

"Oh" Lacus remarked. A 'C minus' was the second lowest grade possible. Just below that was a 'D.' A 'D' was a Fail.

"Why are _you_ so smart?

"No… I… I'm not, really."

"Don't be so modest. You're always first in the class. You must be a genius or something."

"No, Stella… Seriously, I just study every night. All I really do is go over my notes" the pinkette said, gesturing to the book on her desk. She opened it to a page filled with her notes. Neat, slanted, looped characters written in blue ink filled each line of the page.

Stella's eyes widened again. "Damn it" she complained "even your _writing_ is perfect."

Lacus smiled and closed her book "Come on Stella" said an amused voice from behind. It belonged to Sting, another friend of theirs. "Don't throw a tantrum."

"I'm not!" Stella said in the vein of a spoilt child. She immediately calmed down as if the joke had just suddenly soured.

"So what, you just study every day?" asked another voice, this one from directly in front of the girl. He was looking back at them, his lime green bangs obscuring the entire left side of his face.

"Is that _really_ your secret?" Stella asked in a disenchanted tone.

Lacus nodded. "Sorry to disappoint you" she said simply.

Just then, the school bell sounded, signifying the end of the school day. "So where are you guys going?" asked the voice of the person sitting directly behind Lacus. She turned to face him, both of them. One had short green hair with a tint of yellow, he sat strait up in his seat – Sting. The other: Auel – his height was less than Sting's and his sky blue hair – so faint and subtle that one might have mistaken it for white − was a little longer. "Well?" he asked impatiently after receiving no response.

"No… nowhere" Lacus answered.

"Are you going strait home?" Stella asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll walk with you" the blonde offered.

"Okay" Lacus said, accepting the offer. She quickly placed her book and test paper in her bag, zipped it up, stood and swung the backpack over her shoulder, ready to go. She pushed in her chair and walked toward the door, her blonde friend trailing right behind her the entire time.

It was a fine day. The temperature was not too hot, nor was it too cold and the sun bathed all in its warming rays. A pleasant breeze was flowing through, passing people by. It was just so calm and tranquil. Despite all the troubles that existed in Yasura, the people lived in denial. They were all happy and care free. This place _was_ happy and carefree and most of all: peaceful. There was certainly nothing in the air to inform local residents that this city would no longer exist in just a few hours time.

Lacus walked against the gentle breeze. It passed by the skin of her face and tickled her nose. She was smiling, chatting with her friend, _so_ carefree. Not at all the same person she would become a in a few days time.

Lacus saw the green haired boy from before as he walked past them. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he had headphones in his ears. Treble from the song he was listening to could be heard as he passed.

"Bye Shani" Stella said. The boy froze at the sound of his name and turned around. His eyes darted from one girl to the other. "See you tomorrow" she said. Shani quickly nodded, turned back and began walking in the same direction he was going before.

Lacus turned to her blonde friend and saw the mischievous smile on her face. "What do you know about him?" Stella asked.

Lacus shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing" she answered truthfully. The three of them often worked together with Sting and Auel in class but outside of that, Shani seemed to just disappear.

"I've seen him a couple of times… he's always been on his own" Stella said thoughtfully. Her smile returned. Let's follow him."

"What?"

"You don't want too?" the blonde asked in defence of her idea "Don't you want to get to know him better?"

"I just don't think it's a good idea. What if he's doing _private_ things?"

"That's why we should follow him. Come on!"

"Why don't we just try talking to him?"

"That's not as fun!" Stella argued but reluctantly agreed. "I guess your way might be better… but if he doesn't want to talk, I'm following him."

"Go ahead, if you want to begin a new career as a professional stalker." Stella laughed at her friend's comment.

"Alright then, let's go, he's not too far in front of us." The two friends increased their pace and soon caught up with the object of their fascination.

Just ahead of them, unaware that he had just been the subject of a discussion Shani continued to walk, listening to music through his headphones when suddenly the sound stopped. _What the hell,_ the boy thought. He pulled an object from his pocket – a digital music device that played MP3s stored on it's built in one gigabyte hard disk. It was not an expensive model but it did its job… until now. The MP3's LCD screen was blank. He turned it off and back on again. A message flashed briefly before the screen died once more.

−Battery Critical

"Damn" the boy muttered. _This Piece of shit! _He turned the device off once more and unplugged the headphones. He pulled the wire free from within his shirt and coiled it around the frame of the MP3 player before returning it to his pocket.

"What happened?" Stella asked. Both she and Lacus had caught up.

"Battery died" Shani answered jadedly.

"Aw, too bad" Stella said with childlike pretend concern. "Now you have to put up with us. We don't see you much."

"Why, are you going blind?" the boy asked sarcastically.

"Don't be like that!" Stella defended.

"We want to get to know you better, that's all" Lacus elaborated.

"Know… me?" Shani asked. "Why?"

"We're friends, aren't we?" Stella asked. The boy shrugged in response. Stella's eyes widened. "Don't you consider us friends?"

"I don't know" Shani drawled lazily "Maybe, I s'pose."

"Then lets all do something on Friday" the blonde suggested.

"Like what?" Shani asked, disinterested.

"What about the zoo?" Shani snorted in scorn at the idea. "Come on, why not? It's the annual open day on Saturday, why don't we go then?"

"Too many kids."

"What's wrong with little kids?" Lacus asked.

"Yeah!" her friend butted in "Little kids Laughing, running around with their little fluffy hats with pompoms on, their cute little faces painted up to look like a kitty cat or smeared with chocolate and ice cream." She sighed.

"I know" Shani replied bitterly "Stupid little headaches with their grubby little faces. Makes you wanna just smash 'em open with a nice hard rock."

"That's… scary." Shani looked the blonde girl and grinned. "You _know_ you used to be one of them, right?" Shani's smile faded.

"I know. That thought alone makes me want to be sick. I don't see how you can put up with them. Having a younger sibling would be bad enough but to volunteer your free time to looking after those rowdy little migraines… you must be insane." Stella let out a mad, maniacal laugh and stroked her sleeve as though it were a white Persian as if she were a mad scientist in an action movie. "Why would you agree to babysit someone else's headache? There's a reason they're dumped on naive teenagers like you."

"But it's fun" Stella insisted. You guys should come with me next time.

"No thanks" Shani answered without even taking any time for consideration.

"Oh, give it a chance. Lacus'll come, right?"

"Um, well… actually" the pinkette began.

"What?!!" the blonde replied. She simply couldn't believe this. How could anyone _not_ like being around energetic children? It was _so_ entertaining. Kindergarten teachers must have the best jobs on earth. "Come on, it'll be fun. Most of the parents around here trust me. I have a good reputation. They'll allow you to stay. It'll be fun" she added as though closing the deal "I promise."

"No Lacus" Shani warned "trust me. You want to stay _away_ from that light.

"I'm certain you'll enjoy it" Stella pleaded.

"I… I can't" Lacus said, turning away in embarrassment.

"Huh, why not?" her friend asked.

"I'm not allowed. My parents won't let me. They say I'm not old enough to handle the responsibility."

"Not old enough? To babysit, what the hell is that about?" Stella fumed as though this were the greatest injustice in the world. Actually, compared to injustices being suffered by Coordinators in other cities, this was pretty mild. "What the hell? Shani's seventeen! I'll be sixteen in a few months time! How old are you? Fifteen, sixteen…?"

"Fourteen, actually" Lacus answered while her friend's jaw dropped. Shani looked mildly interested, judging from his eyes.

"What, so you're younger than me too?" the girl complained. "Don't tell me that you skipped a grade!"

"Uh, yeah" Lacus confirmed, a tinge of red appearing on her cheeks.

"Oh, this isn't fair, I mean… I mean… This… This is−"

"Stella" Shani cut her off. "Don't embarrass her. Being gifted is supposed to be a good thing. You act as though she's betrayed you somehow."

"No I don't!" Stella denied. "It's just that… you are just so good at everything… far better than me. I'm really glad we're friends and not rivals. If you tried to show me up… I don't know _what_ I'd do."

"Do you seriously want to improve?" Lacus asked, sensing something in her blonde friend.

"What?"

"Are you serious, do you really want to do better in class, even if it means working hard?"

"Sure."

"Then maybe I can help you study." Stella's face lit up with a smile.

"Ask your parents if you can help me."

"It _should_ be alright."

"Great, we'll do it on Thursday night."

"Thursday, could we do it on Friday?"

"I'm babysitting little Jerry Lyle on Friday while his parents go to his mother's niece's wedding. I'm sure it'll be alright if you came too. You just have to check with your parents."

"I… I think it'll be alright if we're studying."

"Great, this'll be fun, like a sleepover except in someone else's house and we won't be sleeping… but still. We can watch movies and play games with little Jerry and…" she trailed off at the look Lacus was giving her.

"I thought we were studying."

"Oh, we will. We will. But there's no reason why we can't have fun too, right?"

"I don't see why not" Lacus finally agreed.

"So it's all settled then" Stella said smugly. It had all gone exactly how she had hoped and imagined. Her plan had been perfect. Lacus was so easily manipulated. It was lucky for _her_ that they were best friends and never had ill-intentions for each other. The blonde looked toward Shani and noticed him eying her critically. She could tell what he was thinking. It was as if he was saying 'you are a bad influence on her.' She sent him back a grin that said 'I know.' "So it'll be a study party then."

"How fun" Shani said sarcastically. "I almost feel sorry for the little headache."

"You're invited too, Shani."

"I'll pass." He increased his pace, bringing the conversation to an end.

Stella and Lacus had to walk faster to keep up with the boy. "You can't get away _that_ easily" the blonde joked. "Where were you running off too anyway?"

"Nowhere" Shani said. "Listen, can we walk a different way?"

"Why?" Lacus asked.

_Please don't let them notice. Please God don't let then see._

"Hey, look over there."

_Crap!_

"It's Sting and Auel. Let's go say hi" Stella announced.

"But… who are those other two?" Lacus asked.

"Let's go find out" Stella decided. As leader of the group, her decisions were final.

The three friends approached the four boys. Among Sting and Auel, were two others. One had red hair and was standing between Sting and Auel, leaning against a low brick wall that came just above chest height, behind the wall stood an old long abandoned house. The building's aged paintjob was peeling off and covered in graffiti. The door to the house was open and many of the windows were smashed or otherwise damaged while others were even removed completely – perhaps sold to feed a young drug habit, along with many other of the house's contents. The forth boy sat on top of the fence, rather than lean against it. His eyes were engrossed in a paperback novel. He looked up from the book to see the newcomers. "Care to introduce your friends, Shani?"

"This is Lacus Clyne and Stella Loussier" the greenette replied. "The one with the book is Orga Sabnak" he said, introducing two boys that Lacus had never before laid eyes on and perhaps never would again… if she were lucky. "And the other one is Clotho Buer."

"Hey, Andras" Clotho called out. "Since when do _you_ hang out with a couple of girls?" Shani sighed. This was going to be difficult.

"Look, can you two go on without me? I need to discus something here. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay" Lacus and Stella both agreed. They left Shani with his other friends.

The four boys waited until the girls had left before moving or saying anything. Once they had moved out of sight, Auel moved. He sprang forward from the wall, sidestepped around the green haired boy and held him around the shoulders so he couldn't move. Once he had done so, it was Sting's turn. He walked a few steps toward Shani and punched him with a powerful right jab in the abdomen. Shani would have doubled over in pain, had Auel not been holding him still. They didn't need anyone to hold him; he wouldn't run from these bastards. Running away was futile. He had learned _that_ particular lesson the hard way. Even though it was unnecessary to have someone there, the boy was appreciative of it. At least it kept him from falling to the ground. Sting hit him two more times and sneered into his eyes. "Sting… why are you with these assholes? I _know_ these guys. Trust me. You _don't_ want to get mixed up with them."

"What the hell do you know?"

"If you won't listen to me, then just use your eyes. Learn from my example. Do you really think they respect you or consider you a friend? Those two don't really like you."

"Not yet, not until I prove myself."

"And then what? You'll join their gang? What will you be, a lookout? Do you really think they'll start to respect you? It will never happen. Those two don't give a shit about you or Auel or anybody."

"What do you know?"

"I know because I'm you in a few years time." Sting's eyes widened.

"What?!!"

"Two years ago I was one of them. I was their friend… at least I though I was. They were really just using me as a scapegoat. I can't count how many times I took the fall for them. I just kept telling myself 'someday… I just have to do better. I can do this, I can do that. If I do this then they'll respect me. Now look at me. Take my word for it, you'll be the same."

"Nice speech, Shani" Orga remarked, his eyes still travelling across the pages of his novel.

"No it won't" Sting said. "It won't happen because… because we're not like you!" he swung a left hook at Shani's face. The impact of the blow caused the boy's head to travel to the right just enough to shift his hair and reveal his mismatched eyes… his eyes were two different colours!" Sting's eyes widened in shock "what the fuck?!!" Shani jerked his head to the left so that his hair once again fell over his face.

"Hey, Sting!" Clotho called out. "In the future, don't hit people in the face. Stick to the trunk of the body. We don't want him to have any marks or bruises in places that can be seen. That's why _we_ never hit below the belt, the arms or above the neck, got it?"

"Ah… right" Sting replied.

"Alright, Shani" Orga said, snapping his book shut and leaving the wall. He walked forward and stood next to Sting. The helpless boy then noticed how much alike the two looked. "You were supposed to come alone. You didn't tell those two anything about us, did you?" Shani shook his head.

"No"

"Good. They looked genuinely clueless so I suspect you are telling the truth." He looked around for anyone that might be passing by. "I think maybe we should take this inside" he said pointing out the abandoned house.

* * *

Lacus and Stella had come to the end of their walk. Both wore smiles as they made their way up the driveway of Lacus' house. "Do you want to stay for a while?" the pinkette asked her friend. Both of her parents worked during the day so she had the house to herself until 6PM. It was a strange arrangement. She was old enough to look after herself for a few hours but not another's child.

"Sure."

That was it. That was how the two spent the remainder of the afternoon. They didn't worry about the safety of their friend Shani, why would they? He was with two of their other friends. Sting and Auel were trustworthy, weren't they? The thought that they might sell him out to people who might try to harm him had never crossed their minds.

They didn't worry about the safety of their friends, nor did they worry about the safety of their families or even themselves. They had thought that they were safe. They had thought that they were secure in their homes. Who would ever have thought that their houses could serve as private crematoriums? Who would ever think of such a thing? Who would ever think of _committing_ such a despicably monstrous crime?

Little did they know that these next precious few hours would be the last time they would see their families? Little did Lacus know that the innocent smiles and laughter she now shared with her closest friend would be the last gestures of happiness she would have.

If family members had known such things, would they have better savoured everything? Would they have made sure the last things they said to their soon to be late family were pleasant and meaningful? Something like 'I love you' as opposed to "You don't get it" or even something as meaningless as "goodbye."

Had they known beforehand the tragedy that lay before them, one could ask the question… how would it be different? If they had been warned, would it have changed a thing? Would the people live on in denial or would they turn to mass hysteria and try to evacuate in some kind of mad exodus?

It seems cruel to ask such Questions after the fact, when nothing more can be done about it.

The time had come, the deadline crossed. The Day's eighteenth hour had come and gone, bringing with it explosions and fire, it was after six PM and for Yasura, judgement day was now at hand. Death filled the air, permeated by smoke and flame as mother and child succumb to its hellish embrace. Little sisters reached for brother's hand while sons and daughters cried for their parent's arms. Black smoke obscured vision and asphyxiated all whom dared run for their lives – Lacus among them, fleeing for her life, abandoning all else, concerned only with escaping Hell.

How fast had the fire spread, could she make it out alive? Where were her friends? Where was her Father? Where was her Moth… "Mo-ther…"

"Lac… Lacus…"

There she was, her clothes charred and scorched, her white skin blackened from ash and soot. The heat had singed her hair and blistered her beautiful face. It was a ghastly sight… one that would haunt her and warp her mind, giving her unending nightmares. She felt something welling up inside of her, something for the anguish, the horror, the terror. Lacus didn't even realise she had done it but her mouth had opened and the sound emitted was indeed her own. Her throat tightened, her voice cracked, the scream overtook her. After that, the world went black.

She didn't notice the rubble. A nearby building was about to collapse. A natural gas tank from within the house exploded.

−The charred corpse was not quite dead, she was standing

−The girl was overwhelmed by fear, she could do naught. She was merely a frightened child, merely a scared little girl.

Why was her mother standing, why was she approaching her so slowly? What did she want? Was she attacking her? No, that couldn't possibly be it. There must have been another reason.

−Crash

The rubble fell, crushing the woman. Lacus' eyes widened again, this time in horror worse than any other. The older woman had used her own body as a shield.

All around her, people were dying. The only sounds that could be heard were screams of agony and anguish from the surrounding citizens as they and their loved ones were taken. Burgundy flames leaped from house to house, tree to tree, man to man, incinerating all, leaving in its wake only the haunted screams of those who were for the moment still alive. Religious men would cry out loud for their messiah to save them only to find − to the disdain of some and expectation of others – he would not come. They would not be spared. They would not be saved. It was all too much… too much.

Lacus ran. She turned and fled for her life. Perhaps she had the power to save someone's child but in her current frame of mind… she was completely useless. She had the body of a five year old. She did the only thing she could… or rather her body did it of its own accord. From the neck up, Lacus was unconscious. No train of thought ran through her mind. Her now five year old legs took her as fast as they could away from the infernal pit.

She ran and ran and ran… right into a tall blond man who looked down at her sadly. He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "Lacus…" he said in a tone full of sorrow. "How is your mother? Did she make it out?" Lacus looked up at him, her eyes full of tears that threatened to spill. She didn't need to say anything, Siegel knew the answer. His beloved spouse was now a pile of ash.

"I'm… I'm… I'm so-sorry… I-I… I c-couldn't do… anything…" Lacus sobbed in her childish five year old voice. She heard him give a grieving sigh. He tightened his hold on his daughter and she felt his moustache brush against her skin, for only a moment.

"Lacus…" he muttered.

The girl had de-aged once more. She was now three. "Daddy…" she muttered, her voice giving out.

* * *

The girl woke up on the floor of the reverend's house.

She was alone.

This was it. This was all she had.

This was the place she now called home.


	10. Death of a Politician

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sown Under The Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gundam Seed

**Author's Notes: **I just realised something about the last chapter. Stella mentioned the zoo and then the entire city went up in flames. Think about that for a minute… do you understand now? Those poor animals…

**Prologue II: Sowing the Seeds of Separation**

**CE 270:** Azrael and Yuri have made their way to the secret hanger bay of the UEN headquarters, but now they must find a way to escape Earth. Meanwhile, Lacus and the other refugees begin school in the city that has become their new home. Old friendships are torn apart as new ones are forged. The teenagers form themselves into social groups with the exception of one: the lone student who remains immune to the behavioural virus whose symptoms include backstabbing and betrayal of one's best friends.

−_Bang!_

_Azrael felt the projectile hit him in the back and dig deep inside him. It probably would have gone all the way through him if not for the vest he was wearing. The insufferable pain from his wound was matched in Yuri's eyes. Her smile had faded to be replaced by a look of horror. "Mi-mister Chairman" she mouthed in disbelief._

"_Azrael" demanded an infuriated voice from behind "You arrogant bastard. You should have killed me when you had the chance. Now I will bring you to justice. It's no less than you deserve!" He fired the gun into Azrael again._

_The blond man found it difficult to breath and his legs began to buckle beneath him. He was going down. Was this the end?_

"_Azrael…" He saw Yuri mouth his name but heard nothing. He had been deafened. Time had slowed to an immeasurable crawl. His entire body was racked with exhaustion and he felt like lying down. He doubted that he had the strength and resolve to continue fighting. This day had taken a lot out of him._

_Yuri…what can I…?_

_Was this it, the end of his road? What about Yuri, would she be killed too?_

**Phase 10 – Death of a Politician**

Azrael felt his legs give way beneath him. _"Damn!"_ Was this it? Was this his time to die? The Man's eyes narrowed in hatred at the events that had come to play out in front of him. _"Fuck that!"_ he thought. Just before he was to hit the ground, his hand brushed against something cold. _"The gun_…" with a grimace on his face – an expression that seemed somehow alien and incredibly unfamiliar – he snatched up the gun and leaped forward.

While in midair he did something that just may have saved his life but regardless of this fact, he would hate himself for doing it. The pain from his midair manoeuvre was like nothing he had ever suffered before. It really _was_ the worst feeling in the world. In fact; this feeling made the experience of being shot in the back, seem more or less the equivalent of a scraped knee.

Azrael's back twisted as his stressed body turned in its airborne flight pattern. His limbs were totally exhausted but his arms somehow managed to hold the intricate device of metal steady and still as he turned over in the air. He lifted his head and took aim. His finger reached for the trigger and wrapped around it like a chain. Soon the Chairman would be dead and the world would once again be devoured by chaos. This was not at all the outcome he had desired but little could be done about that now.

−He aimed for the heart.

−He saw the Chairman say something but couldn't hear a thing over the deafening ringing in his ears. For all intents and purposes: he had gone deaf. There was no other way to explain it. He had become intoxicated by an almighty adrenaline rush. He had never experienced anything like it before.

The blond Man's eyes hardened. His muscles tensed. His index finger tightened on its hold around the trigger.

−He pulled.

Bullets tore their way through the Chairman like boulders of hail through the thin fabric roof of a camper's tent. Ejected casings fell to the floor in a maelstrom of bloodshed. The man killed on impulse. The bullet's split the Chairman's skin as though it were made of paper and stained his clothes with his crimson fluid. They ripped through him and riddled his body full of little holes. The Gun's recoil pushed it upward, sending a trail all the way up the chairman's body, all the way up to his head.

Azrael and the Chairman both fell to the ground although with Yuri's help, the blond man was able to stand. He walked up to the Chairman and stood over him. The dying man looked up into the blond's eyes with his own full of unwavering malevolence. He raised his pistol up to point the barrel at his nemesis, his hand trembling as though lacking the strength to do so much as keep steady, let alone shoot.

Azrael's lips turned up in a vicious sneer. He brought the gun to the Chairman's head and fired the secondary barrel. The shell exploded in the Chairman's face, obliterating it utterly. "Should've quit while you had the chance…" Azrael muttered. He looked over to Yuri. "This job is murder" he said, allowing the gun to slip from his grasp.

Yuri rushed over to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'll be fine."

"Can you walk on your own?"

"I'll be fine" the blond man repeated.

"Oh, because… if you need to, you can… you can lean on me."

"I just need to get out of here, don't worry yourself."

"Oh" Yuri replied without emotion. She almost felt rejected. She quickly looked away and something caught her eye − a large metallic humanoid machine. It was twenty metres tall and a monochromatic grey all over. "What is that?"

She heard Azrael give a weak snicker. "Do you like that?"

"Is this… what I think it is?"

"It's a new mobile suit."

"A _new_ one, how do you know?"

"Because I've never seen this model before, it's likely a prototype. It looks just like a dagger but larger." The mobile suit had no visible weapons to speak of, besides a conventional sword and the standard CIWS machine guns. There were small anti-beam shields built into each of the thing's limbs."

"Could you fly this?"

Azrael gave another snicker. "This is indeed an impressive weapon but in our hands: useless. I can't fly this. Can you?" Yuri shook her head. "I thought so. Neither of us are pilots. I couldn't even escape with on of those" he said, indicating one of the many mobile armours in the hanger. He noticed something in the distance. "Over there" he said. They walked over to a large ship. "This, I think is the mining ship Hermes. I can probably stow away on board." He turned to Yuri. "What about you? Can you get away?"

The redhead looked away. Where did she have to go? She couldn't return home, not now. She barely felt welcome _before_. Now what would he do? Would he… _No, I refuse to go back to him. _"I have nowhere to be… nowhere to go… I don't even have a home anymore."

"I see" Azrael said. "Maybe _I_ have a use for you. Tell me, do you know anything about first aid?"

"Not really."

"Hmm, maybe I could talk you through it. Do you think you could help me once more?"

"I… I could try."

"Alright… do you want to come with me? It's your choice." Yuri's face lit up.

"Really?"

"If you want to."

"Yes, of course." Azrael simply nodded.

"Come on then." While no one was in sight they boarded the ship. The interior of the entire vessel was a light shade of grey. "In here" the blond man said, opening the door to a small storage room. The two slipped inside and closed the door behind them. Azrael lay down on the floor and handed Yuri his combat knife.

"Th-this is… this is a big blade."

"That's all I have" Azrael said in place of an apology. "First, the sides of this vest are just regular fabric. I want you to cut through them and get this body armour off me so you can see where I'm injured." Yuri did as instructed. She took the blade and cut through the thick material of the vest under both the blond man's arms. With the vest now ruined, she lifted the front over his head. Azrael sat up and allowed her to move the now worthless body armour out of the way. "Can you see them? There should be three.

"Yeah" Yuri said, cringing a little at the sight. There was a bullet wound in his arm. "I can see _one_."

"Shit, the others must be in my back somewhere. Take care of that one first. Do you know what to do?"

"I… I think so."

"Good, just try to cut it out… there's a first aid kit over there" the blond man said, pointing it out with his eyes. It was on the bottom shelf against the nearby wall. Yuri opened it and pulled out a pair of tweezers and several large rolls of bandages. Azrael gritted his teeth in preparation… nothing happened. He looked up at Yuri. She had the knife hovering just above his wound. "What are you doing?" he asked. She was hesitating. Perhaps she_ couldn't_ do this after all. "Don't worry about hurting me okay? I can take it."

Yuri nodded and put the blade to the blond man's arm. She pushed the point down and pulled it across, drawing blood to the surface. She quickly placed a bandage and placed it near the wound to soak up excess blood. She picked up the tweezers and dug them into the incision she had made. She pushed them down do the bottom of the cut and closed them… they gripped something. "I… I think I've got it."

"Good, now slowly pull it out. Be careful, don't drop it."

"Right."

"And when you get it out, put the bandage over the cut to stop the bleeding." The young redhead did as she was instructed and pulled the bullet from the cavity and placed the bandage over the open wound. She wrapped the bandage around his arm no less than eight times before tying it. Azrael put his good arm up to loosen his tie and remove it with a single hand. Without making a sound, he then began unbuttoning his shirt. "Could you help me get this off?"

"Right" Yuri answered. She carefully slid the sleeves over his arms and put his shirt to the side. Azrael rolled over onto his stomach to show the young lady his back.

"What can you see?" he asked.

"There's two more."

"Alright, just do what you did for the first one. Can you do that?" Azrael asked as calmly as he could.

"Yeah."

"Alright."

Yuri did the same thing for the other two gunshot wounds and wrapped a bandage around Azrael's torso to stop the bleeding. She sat down with her back to the wall and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. After that, there was nothing else to do. Nothing to do but wait, what for, they didn't know. They needed to wait for Azrael's wounds to heal, for this ship to take them out of Earth's atmosphere. Perhaps even wait to be discovered. All they could do was to wait and let the time slip through their fingers.

−How much time had passed?

−How much time remained?

−What was left to do?

−How many hours remained?

The answers to these queries seemed an inconceivable as the questions themselves. They would stay in that tiny room for hours and Yuri found herself unable to tear her eyes away from Azrael but he hadn't moved at all… until… he shifted his gaze a little and rolled over onto his side. He tilted his head and cerulean eyes met aqua. He briefly flashed to her his charismatic smile. "Thanks for what you did. If you want to get closer, I have nothing against it." Yuri shuffled closer and lay down beside the man. She looked into his sapphires and her own eyes widened, letting in more light and brightening them up. Azrael smiled in response. "What is it?"

"Oh… It's nothing." Azrael rolled onto his back and remained still, his head resting back onto the floor. His eyes stared up at the ceiling. "What… What's going to happen to us now?"

"I have to be honest" Azrael said, still staring strait up at the ceiling. "I'm not entirely sure about our situation. I want to rest here for a while in case I start bleeding again. After I'm feeling better, I'll go scout out the ship. We'll just have to stay put until then. Yuri turned to the blond man beside her. His eyes were closed and his breathing had slowed a little.

"_Is he asleep?_" She moved a little closer and closed her eyes. Only one thing remained – time.


	11. Forging a Mask of Sanity

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sown under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Gundam Seed

The lyrics portrayed in this chapter are from the song 'Lost Control' by 'Anathema'

**Author's Notes: **Look at this chapter's disclaimer… yes, I did put lyrics from a song in this chapter but don't worry, it won't be until near the end. I may do this sometime in the future, for example in a future chapter I may use the song 'Rage of the Winter' for a short chapter bridging the gap of a time skip when the weather makes the transition from Autumn to winter but there's quite a bit to get through before that. (Most of the characters are yet to be introduced for example.)

I just realised something about the Lacus' flashback chapter. Stella mentioned the zoo and then the entire city went up in flames. Think about that for a minute… do you understand now? Those poor animals…

**Episode II: Sowing the Seeds of Separation**

**CE 270: **The last week has come and gone and now it is time for the refugees to become part of their new home and community. Most refugee families have been taken in, with the Clyne family being the one exception. The reverend of the local church has allowed them to stay with him for the time being. The day of the Memorial service has come at last and after that it will be time for Lacus and the others to begin school in the city that has become their new dwelling. Old friendships are torn apart as new ones are forged. The teenagers form themselves into social groups with the exception of one: the lone student who remains immune to the behavioural virus whose symptoms include the backstabbing and betrayal of one's closest friends.

**Phase 11 – Forging a Mask of Sanity**

The past few days had flown by in a whirlwind of tranquillity. Days had slipped by in the torrent of time like pink salmon swimming downstream on their annual migration path. The overcast dismal skies were weakening. The sun's abhorrent rays were beginning to penetrate the surface of the floating grey prison above and liberate the city from dreary days and distant fog.

Looking out the window, the girl's orbs of mildest periwinkle found solace in a levitating ocean of clear blue sky for only the second time since _that_ night, that _horrid_ _fateful_ night. The night when her beloved town of Yasura had become Hell and a furious inferno had danced in the evening air. She had been there when it happened. She had danced with death but been spared, rejected by Hades himself. She had witnessed those who had been taken. She had seen their bodies as the hellish flames licked them hungrily like a sinfully lustful tongue. She had been deafened by their undying cries and screams of agony. She had been there and yet_,_ somehow she had survived. Why – she did not know but whether for a reason or by fluke – she had been spared.

It may appear to the casual bystander that the pink haired girl had escaped unscarred and unscathed, however this rash assumption would be – like many other things in this world – false. She had _indeed_ been marked, but unlike so many others, her body had not been touched. The incident _had_ left its mark on the girl but _not_ on her frame. Rather it made its imprint within the confines of her mind – where they could not be seen, where they could do the most damage. Where they could fester and decay, leaving the husk of a girl behind for all to see.

Lacus gave a long, arduous sigh before woefully tearing her eyes away from the glass. Out of the corner of her periwinkle eyes, she noticed a tall blond man with a thick moustache, her father – Siegel Clyne.

The man wore a blue tie that complemented his white shirt and the grey blazer that matched his trousers. Lacus had been in such deep contemplation that she didn't even notice him standing in the doorway.

"Lacus," he announced softly in his calm, soothing manner. "We should be getting ready soon. Remember, this is entirely your choice so don't feel forced. Are you _sure_ you want to go?"

"Yes," Lacus nodded. "I feel like this ceremony is important. I… We… should be there."

"Very well, we will be leaving shortly." _I'm sure she feels obliged, like she _has_ to go._ The man's train of thought was correct and running at full speed on the right line. _He was right when he said that…this will be a test for her. _He turned to leave. "Don't be too long" he cautioned before leaving his daughter to her solitude.

The pinkette let out another silent breath full of air. There was no doubt in her mind. She _had_ to attend this memorial service. It was the only way she could begin to come to terms with everything. Maybe if she paid her respects to all those who lost their lives in the tragedy… yes, that was the _only_ way she could justify her continued existence. She had to attend but not only that, she had to apologise to the deceased. This would be a turning point. This day would mark the rest of her existence, the beginning of her new life in this new place, her new home.

The girl brought her attention once more to the Crystal clear glass pane of the window and the blissful tranquillity of the calm landscape portrayed beyond. Her unfaltering gaze continued to linger out there for the briefest of moments until she grudgingly decided that it was at last time to get ready.

Lacus painstakingly tore herself away from her viewing glass and exhaustedly made her way to the reverend's dining room – which in all honesty consisted of nothing more than a Rimu veneer rectangular table located on the empty side of the kitchen and surrounded by chairs. She made slow ragged movements as she made the excruciating journey from one side of the house to the other, her body racked with exhaustion and fatigue resulting from her continuous reoccurring nightmares and the ensuing insomnia that followed. It wasn't that she couldn't sleep, nor was it that she wouldn't. The two problems had merged into one significantly larger issue.

By the time Lacus reached the kitchen, she found the reverend as well as her father already sitting around the table, halfway through their breakfast. "_Oh, right, those two."_ Mirriallia and Tolle were going with them, weren't they? Why weren't they here yet? "Where are Mirriallia and Tolle?" she asked.

"Mirriallia and Tolle?" asked Siegel. "Oh yes, I remember. Those two friends of yours, the ones whom were here that day you went to the beach." Lacus nodded, implying that he had the correct people in mind. "I'm so sorry, I neglected to inform you. It seems that they will not be coming with us _after_ all." Lacus' eyes widened. "They called last night to let us know that they are getting a ride elsewhere. You will likely see them when we get to the memorial."

_I don't know _Lacus thought. Why were they avoiding her? Was it because of that day at the beach?

Why, just because she's your stepmother, just because she's not your real birth-mother? Just because you're not related by blood, does that give you the right to talk about her this way, to talk about her behind her back? You talk about her as though she were the devil incarnate but really, you are just as bad.

"_It's all because of her, all because of her. Kira probably hates me."_

He has every right to.

"_No, I'm sure he just got sidetracked" Miriallia said._

"_Then why haven't I seen him since, even at school. He's probably avoiding me."_

"_Maybe he's with his other friends" Miriallia suggested._

Maybe he's better off.

That was the reason, wasn't it? Yes,_ that_ was why her former friends were now avoiding her. Lacus was convinced. Honestly, she couldn't really blame them, after the way _she_ had acted. _That _was the reason why her two oldest friends no longer wanted to see her.

"Lacus, why don't you have something to eat?" the Reverend offered. The girl's eye drifted down to his plate and she noticed that it was nearly empty.

"Oh, no" she declined "don't worry." She could feel Siegel's eyes narrowing.

"But still, you _should_ eat something. Breakfast _is_ the most important meal of the day after all. That _is_ what they say now, isn't it?"

"No, please… I'm simply not hungry."

"You should still eat _something. _I'll go and get you some. I won't take 'no' for an answer. Even if you don't feel like any you should still at least try some, okay?" the reverend asked kindly. He swiftly picked up his plate and was off before any kind of argument could be made. With a defeated sigh Lacus pulled out a chair and sat up at the table next to her father.

"He's right, you know" Siegel said. "Starving yourself is not good. You should at least have something small, even if you don't feel like it. I know full well that you may not feel like stuffing yourself but you shouldn't let yourself waste away either. Now I think about it, raising your blood-sugar level from what it is now wouldn't hurt. It may even serve to make you feel a little better. The man looked at his daughter who merely nodded.

"Yeah, I know."

Before long, the reverend returned with a new plate, one loaded up with a large stack of pancakes. He approached the table and placed the plate down in front of Lacus who stared at it with wide eyes. "Welcome to the Atlantic Federation," he said handing her a knife and fork. "Everything is four times the size here. Lacus simply sat still, entirely awestruck at the sheer quantity of the food before her.

"This is too much."

The reverend smiled. "Don't feel like you have to eat all of that. In fact, I don't really expect you too. Anything you don't finish can be fed to the birds. If you want butter or anything, it's all on the table. Just help yourself. He departed once more, leaving the Clyne family to themselves.

Lacus cut a small piece from the side of the top pancake and absentmindedly stabbed it with her fork. With an empty mind void of any trace of thought the girl raised the segment of once round golden brown to her waiting mouth and allowed the morsel to dance on her tongue. The taste radiated from her mouth. Truthfully, she hadn't felt like eating lately and didn't even realise that she was hungry. Her body acted on impulse as she continued to consume the delectable food that had been presented before her. "Lacus?" Siegel asked "are you feeling alright?" The girl nodded with her mouth half full. "It's just that you don't seem all that enthusiastic, as if maybe you don't want to go to the ceremony. Of course you realise that you don't have to attend, Are you entirely sure that you wish to go?" Lacus swallowed.

"Yes" she answered softly. "It's just that I'm tired, I didn't sleep much, that's all. Once we're outside in the fresh air, I'm sure I'll feel much better.

"Are you certain?" Lacus nodded casually and placed another bite in her mouth. The size of her stack had substantially reduced.

"My word Lacus" the reverend said suddenly, announcing his presence after sneaking up on them in his manner that neither Clyne would ever grow accustomed to. "You sure do seem to be making short work of those pancakes. I guess you must have been far hungrier than you thought."

"Yes, I was" Lacus admitted in a voice that ran thin with embarrassment.

"I thought you'd soon regain your appetite. It was all just a matter of time… and here you were saying you weren't hungry" the reverend teased "just look how much you've eaten." He gestured to the girl's plate which contained _much_ less food now than it had before. "But I suppose that's a good thing. Today may be a long day. You'll need your energy." Lacus finished the last pancake on her plate and put down her eating utensils. "If you are finished then head to the bathroom and we can at last get ready to leave." The girl nodded her head silently and left the table. As she left, the Reverend turned to Siegel. "There's no way we can be late to the memorial. I'm the one running it."

"Hmm" the blond agreed.

Away from the two adults, the pink haired girl stepped into the bathroom as the surface below her feet made the transition from varnished timber boards to tiles. She could feel a pocket of emptiness welling up inside her stomach. It started small but quickly grew in size like a plant flourishing from a tiny seed. Her breathing deepened radically as the anxiety planted deep within her gut spread up to her head and the world around her began to spin uncontrollably. She walked as fast as she could to the bathroom sink and leaned over it before she collapsed. She literally fell forward onto it as darkness overtook her, blinding her completely.

−It made her feel nauseous… It made her feel faint…

−She was going to be sick.

The girl could feel liquid massing in the back of her mouth and a pain in her stomach was rising. Her breathing grew to deeper levels of crushing heaviness and she lowered her body onto the cabinet around the sink, resting on her elbows, with the marble supporting the entirety of her weight. Her mouth hung open as she gasped for breath like a fish above the surface. There was no helping it now…

−She heaved.

Her body ached as it leaned over the bathroom counter and expelled her breakfast. Semi-digested pancakes passed backwards through her lips as they left her the same way they had come. Her eyes once again filled with tears but these – for once – were not merely tears of sorrow. The girl could feel her hair against her face, probably catching the undigested muck as it left her mouth.

−_Great_

Eventually the girl's body ceased its protest and the pain in her stomach began to subside. Lacus wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked down at what she had done to the Reverend's sink and the remains of her breakfast. _"What a mess" _she thought _"what a waste."_ It was such as shame. It had tasted so good, too. _"Can I not even enjoy the pleasures of a fantastic meal anymore?"_

With an exasperated sigh she turned on both taps – hot and cold – to flush away the unpleasant mess.

"I didn't realise that my cooking was so atrocious." Lacus' eyes widened as the sound of footsteps grew louder. She turned around and saw the Reverend behind her.

"I-I'm sorry." There was a look in the girl's eyes. She honestly _did_ look remorseful.

"Now now, there's no need to apologise. It wasn't your fault but do you really think you should go out like that?" Lacus contorted her face in confusion. "Are you feeling all right? You were just sick, maybe you should stay here and rest or something." Lacus shook her head.

"I'll be fine" she answered "I just need some fresh air."

The dual jets of water had washed away the girl's vomit from the sink but there were still traces of it in her hair. "We need to clean you up a bit" the man said pointing them out. "Place your head in the basin" he instructed.

Lacus did as she was told and put her head down to the bottom of the sink. Her misted periwinkle eyes closed against the revitalizing effects of the refreshingly cool water. Her forehead restricted the drain and she could feel the water level rising up around her face. As she lay there, she could feel gentle hands running through her hair, cleansing her long pink tresses from the half-digested food that had attached itself to her. All she did was stand there with her head under the water, holding her breath for an unknown length of time. Suddenly, a realization struck her like a wet slap. As she rested against the marble with her head in the water she suddenly realised how easy it would be to simply drown, to drown her sorrow. To suffocate her anguish and put an end to her inner torment once and for all.

Just as these thoughts were crossing her mind the Reverend pulled her up out of the water. "All done" the man said. "Well, that's the best we can do for now but you might want to have a shower when we get back."

…_but he'd be against that kind of thing wouldn't he? The passive-aggressive control freak upstairs doesn't want his lowly specimens to make their own decisions in life. He has to make our choices for us. We don't even have an option regarding when, where or even how we die. He wants us to die after a life full of suffering._

"Lacus?" The girl snapped out of her negative sermon and came plummeting back down to Earth. She looked at the man to her right with her eyes open to their full width. "Are you sure you're okay?" Lacus looked away.

_Why do they keep asking me that?_

The reverend handed her a small towel from the heated towel rack beside the shower. "You should probably dry your hair and if you want to get that taste out of your mouth, there's a bottle of mouthwash on the windowsill."

"Thank you" Lacus nodded.

"Do you want an antacid or anything?"

"No, I'll be fine."

"Okay. If you're still determined to come then we'll be waiting by the door but I must urge you to hurry. I honestly can't stress the importance of my own punctuality, considering who I am. I'm running the ceremony today, it is improper to arrive late to one's own event."

"Thank you" Lacus said meekly, one more time. The reverend nodded and left the pinkette to herself.

Lacus rubbed her hair dry for a few minutes. The room was in pure silence excluding the sound of running water. The girl shut off the tap and the deafening sound of silence once again consumed her. How long could she go on like this? She tried to shut out her thoughts and allowed nothing to run through her mind.

She picked up the relatively new toothbrush she had been using and applied toothpaste before quickly running it through the interior of her mouth. It was by no means a thorough clean but Lacus had neither the time nor the attitude to be thorough. Once finished, she spat the contents of her mouth into the sink and reached for the bottle of mouthwash. Pouring the lime green liquid into the bottle's cap, she then poured it from there into her mouth as though drinking hard alcohol in a shot glass. She swished and gargled the liquid that was supposedly spearmint flavour – although it didn't particularly taste like it – before spitting that too into the sink. She ran the cold water tap once more to flush this away before shutting it off and leaving the bathroom to find her shoes, feeling at least a little refreshed.

Once she was ready to go, the pink haired girl walked toward the house's main exit where the door was open. Her father and the Reverend were both waiting for her outside. The brunette closed and locked the door as soon as Lacus was outside. Her eyes glanced over to her father. He was staring at her… at her head. "Your hair…" he said.

"That…" Lacus began but trailed off after a single word, unable to think of an answer. Anything would do. _Anything _would be better than the truth.

"That was my idea" The Reverend lied "you see, her hair wouldn't sit still so I thought that if she were to wash it then it would sit more nicely."

"It looked alright when I saw it before" Siegel replied sceptically. "In any case, you should have dried it more thoroughly. The last thing you need is to get _sick_." Lacus' eyes widened at the end of her father's sentence. Why did he have to finish it with _that_ word?

The Reverend gestured for Lacus to get in the back of his car and before opening the door to the driver's seat, shot a glance to Siegel that meant "we'll talk about this later." Siegel gave a nod to show that he received and understood the message sent from one parent to the other. They would have a serious conversation about this matter later on.

The reverend drove them to the centre of the city in his car and all throughout the journey, Lacus could feel the anxiety within her growing once more, like butterflies in her stomach that swarmed and dive-bombed, attacking her mercilessly. These metaphorical creatures acted less like harmless butterflies, far from it. To her they seemed more like a malicious swarm of banzai hornets trying their hardest to harm her.

It was not that she had been having a good time in her anxious nervousness. It was just that as much as she wanted to attend the memorial service, she was dreading their arrival just the same. The car pulled up near the City Hall – the cities government building. The reverend parked the car and its occupants stepped out onto the tarmac. "Lacus, we still have some time until the ceremony starts" the Reverend informed her. "If you want, you can try to find some familiar faces."

_But do those faces want to see me?_

"Those two friends of yours… I'm sure that they'll be here. Why don't you go and see if you can find them." Lacus didn't respond strait away. It took her a while but eventually, she decided to do as the Reverend suggested.

The pink haired youth turned from the two older men and made her way toward a huge mass of people. Worry began to etch its way into the crevices of her mind as she weaved in and out between people. She made her way through the bleak sea of mourning with issues of self-consciousness rising within her head like the tides in the sea that she had once oh-so enjoyed watching come in and out. Her best friend – Stella – had understood. They had both shared a deep passion for the calming tranquil sea. The sea forgave all, didn't it? The ocean had a short memory. Some of the deeper parts had none at all.

Stella and Lacus had been close friends and had always stuck by one another ever since they first met. The charismatic blonde had been her closest friend. They had been inseparable for the longest time but now she was nowhere to be seen.

Lacus was hit by a thought, a realization. There were _so_ many people here and she didn't know a single one. She didn't recognise a single face. Where were all the people that she knew? Where was the blasé horde of friends that had always assembled around Stella as though she were some kind of great leader of tomorrow? Where were they all? Had none of them survived? Had they _all_ been taken by a cruel indifferent god? With everyone she knew now gone, what kind of tomorrow could she possibly have?

−"_some_ future"

Lacus instantaneously snapped back to reality. She stopped walking. She _knew_ that voice. She could recognise that nonchalant drawl. She turned and saw him. He looked much the same as he had the last time she saw him. "Shani?" she asked to make sure he was not merely a figment of her warped imagination. The boy merely nodded. "Have you seen Stella anywhere?" Shani dropped his gaze and shook his head slowly.

"Not since that day we all walked home before the fire."

"Oh" Lacus said dejectedly. "What about the others? Have you been able to find _anyone_?"

"Hey!" called out a loud voice. Lacus craned her neck painfully around as far as it would physically turn and saw someone running towards her.

−Strait shoulder-length blonde hair trailed behind her as she ran.

−her footsteps pounded against the hard ground.

The girl came to an abrupt halt just before she would have crashed directly into Lacus. The pinkette turned back to Shani.

−He was not there!

She turned back to face the blonde and was met with a sincere stare – not quite a glare – by the girl's amber eyes and a short remark. "So it's you."

Lacus recognised this girl from the beach.

_She opened her mouth to say more but stopped. She looked at Lacus and noticed something about her eyes, in those misted, cloudy blue eyes shone a crisp light of clarity. There was something unwholesome about them… a look of complete dislike. "Is… is something wrong?" she asked._

"_How…?" Lacus asked in response._

"_What?" Cagalli asked, clearly not understanding._

"_How can you?"_

"_Lacus?" said Miriallia in a concerned tone._

"_How can you talk like that, how can you say those things, how can you talk like that about your own mother?"_

_Miriallia finally realised what was going through Lacus' head._

"_What, you're taking her side on this? Do you hate Coordinators too?"_

"_Of course I don't" Lacus hissed "but that doesn't give you the right to talk about your parents that way."_

"_You don't know her, she's a manipulative old bat, she even agreed with the views of scumbags like Azrael!"_

"_I don't care! I try not to hate anything, I always try to give everyone a fair go, I really do but you… you talk about your parents this way… you take them for granted and then when they are gone… what will you do? How will you apologise, how will you make it up, by visiting their grave, by planting flowers…? Or will you dance on it out of spite?"_

"_No… it's not like that…" Cagalli said in her own defence. "It's not like I hate her, I just…"_

"_You just hate part of her… you can't do that, you can't hate part of a person without hating the rest of them. She's your step-parent; it's her duty to look after you. Either she loves your father a lot – so much so that she's willing to put up with his selfish brat of a daughter…"_

"So… did you ever find that person you were looking for?" Lacus asked.

"You mean Kira?" the blonde said, answering the question with another question. Lacus nodded. "No, and it's been almost a week since I saw him last. I'm getting worried. I wonder if anything's happened to him."

"Maybe he's just avoiding you" Lacus suggested absentmindedly, not considering the kind of reaction she might receive for her comment.

"What did you say?!!"

Lacus gave a regretful sigh at the reaction she was getting from the blonde girl. It was not her intention to ignite such anger and hostility. "I… look, I'm sorry. You know, for what happened the last time we met. I said things I shouldn't have, we both did."

"Don't try to put the blame for this on me" the heated girl hissed resentfully.

"I'm not trying to blame you" Lacus defended "It's just that… the way you talked about your stepmother… and after… after so many people just lost their lives. It was just so disrespectful." The blonde girl's amber eyes widened in realization, something that the pinkette said had triggered something in her brain.

"Did you… did you loose anyone that night?"

Lacus broke eye contact. "Yes" she said gently. "My mother."

"Oh… I'm sorry about that. Especially since I also know what it's like to loose a parent."

"Your mother." Cagalli nodded.

"Yes, however I don't really remember too much about her since she died so long ago… but by father…"

"Your father died also?" Cagalli nodded.

"He was a mobile suit pilot for the Atlantic federation during the last war. He served on a Void Dreadnaught class destroyer and was killed in action during the battle of L5." In reality, there were so many skirmishes near the PLANT homeland during the final phase of the Earth Alliance's Operation 'Concord Eave' that they had all been grouped together for simplicity's sake.

"So he was involved in _that_ battle? Are you proud of him? Was he part of the large-scale nuclear strike?"

"What? No! He died before that, in the second wave."

"It doesn't matter. It sounds to me like both your parents were supporters of Blue Cosmos, especially your father. He died just so he could do his part to wipe out every last Coordinator."

"No! You've got it wrong!"

"Do I?" Lacus asked vaguely. "Don't get me wrong but to me, your father seems like a prime example of an exterminator."

"What was that?!!"

"Oh my, is that the sound of a vey pissed native?" asked a familiar voice sarcastically. "You know what that means Milly? I guess Lacus must be around… oh, and there she is!" he said somewhat melodramatically.

Lacus looked away from the blonde and saw her two former friends. Tolle walked toward her with a playful smile on his lips, beside him, Mirriallia laughed. Even after all that had happened, she was able to smile and laugh. Wasn't she sad? Didn't she even miss her parents or friends? How could she joke and act so happy at a time like this?

"Lacus" the brunette said calmly "Tolle was just joking."

_That's precisely my point_ the pink haired girl thought spitefully.

"Yeah Lacus… but seriously, you _do_ seem to be an expert in the field of getting on people's bad sides lately. Especially people like her" Tolle said, pointing to the blonde who blushed slightly at the prospect of being in the spotlight, not that she hadn't earned it.

"So… how did you guys get here?" Lacus asked the two newcomers.

"Huh?" Cagalli asked, ignoring the fact that no one was talking to her. "Didn't anyone tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"I thought… Didn't anybody let you know? Maybe not… they came here with me. I didn't actually know anyone from Yasura but I figured I'd better come here and pay my respects, y'know?"

"Oh…" Lacus replied softly. "So… so _this_ is who you came here with."

"Hey, you're not still upset about what I said before are you?" Tolle said, noticing the glum expression on Lacus' face.

Even though she knew it was just a joke, it still hurt. What stung more than being the symbol of fun for others was the fact that they were right. What Tolle had said was correct. All she seemed to do lately was make people either worried or angry. Why did she upset everyone? Why couldn't she fit in? What did Mirriallia have that she didn't? Both of them – Mirriallia and Tolle – they both appeared to have gotten over the worst of their suffering. _"Why can't I overcome this grief like they have?"_

Lacus looked around for any face she might recognise. Stella was nowhere to be found and even Shani had disappeared, not wanting to be seen with the spiteful pinkette. Sting and Auel shared the same fate as her blonde friend, leaving Lacus without social allies. She had hoped to reacquaint her self with Mirriallia and Tolle, the idea inspired by seeing them after the fire. Her hopes of such a thing had just been shattered like an antique glass statue maliciously thrown on the ground with ill intent.

Her former friends exchanged words with the blonde girl right before the pinkette's eyes. Lacus didn't know what they were saying. She wasn't listening. The three friends talked in mute. _"Three… those __**three**__ friends, I am the forth person here, the fifth wheel – the spare tyre in the back of a car. I am not needed." _Lacus narrowed her eyes painfully._ "Is it my fault? Maybe, or is it…"_ The girl's periwinkle gems locked onto _that_ girl's blonde hair and instantly hardened like plaster. _"It's her."_ It was because of that girl. _She_ was the reason why Lacus was loosing her friends.

−Cagalli spoke and listened and laughed.

−Lacus continued to glare.

Despite the nature of the situation, something inside the pinkette insisted on making things worse by labelling Cagalli as an enemy.

The blonde inadvertently allowed her gaze to float over to the pinkette – whom she already happened to be somewhat weary about. It was unfortunate that she happened to look in the girl's direction at that precise moment in time.

The blonde's smile instantly faded. "What is it?" she asked. At that same exact moment, the look in Lacus' eye also faded. "What?" she asked, her tone so thick with feign ignorance that it almost made both girls feel sick.

"Why were you glaring at me like that?"

"I… I wasn't, honestly" Lacus said with a false smile.

"Then what _were_ you doing?" Cagalli asked sceptically. There was something about this girl… something odd.

"I was just thinking."

"About your mother?" Mirriallia asked, concerned.

"Yes" lacus lied, accepting the excuse gladly.

"Do you hate your mother _that_ much?" Cagalli asked incredulously "and you were telling me to respect _my_ parents."

"My mother _isn't_ the one that I hate!" Lacus spat. The venomous words came out as a malevolent, hate-filled hiss that caused Cagalli's eyes to widen slightly in fear.

_Is this girl dangerous? She seems pretty angry. If she were to turn violent…_

"Lacus, don't do this" Miriallia pleaded. "Don't blame yourself, please. I hate you when you're like this." The pink haired girl's eyes snapped open to full width.

−_Hate?_

"Wait, what does she mean 'don't blame yourself?'" Cagalli asked, confused.

"It's nothing" lacus assured the blonde, wearing her fake grin like a child wearing their Halloween costume for fun long after the festivities were over. "_I can't let her know" _the girl told herself_ – I can't let anyone know about this. If people think I'm happy then they'll think I'm recovering… just like Mirriallia._ "Look at all the people" she said, changing the subject to something less sensitive. It worked.

Cagalli looked around and noticed all the people that were just now arriving. They were like worker bees returning to a hive. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

"Yeah, this place is getting a little crowded" Tolle replied. Lacus' eyes widened. The comment wounded her.

_Crowded, too many people, does he mean me?_

Cagalli and her two friends walked away, leaving the anxious pinkette on her own. Lacus' insecurities were winning over. "Lacus?" Mirriallia asked. "Do you want to come?" The pink haired girl's face immediately brightened up. Mirriallia was still willing to be around her. She wasn't hated completely. She quickly nodded and followed the group to the City Hall's parking lot.

The area used as a parking lot for visitors was a large mass of gravel with white painted lines to show drivers where to park. The area was not quite but nearly filled to capacity with cars – probably belonging to those attending the memorial service.

The pink haired girl's eyes were drawn to the park lights of a nearby sedan as they suddenly came on. The arctic white vehicle reversed at a fast speed, coming to stop right beside the group of teenagers. With her excellent vision Lacus was able to see through the glass at the face of the blonde woman driver inside the car. She was certain that the woman was giving her a dirty look, one of pure malice. Why? She didn't even know this woman. They had never met. Who was she and why did she seem to hate her so much? Without warning, the car sped off onto the main road without indicating the left turn. "There goes our ride" Tolle said. Lacus looked at him.

"Who _was_ that?"

"My kind-hearted stepmother" Cagalli answered with bitter sarcasm evident in her tone. The eyes of one girl pierced into the clouded orbs of the other. "So, would you still take her side in an argument you know _nothing_ about?" The abruptness of the blonde's words stung as they slid beneath Lacus' skin.

"Maybe not" she answered. Judging by the way the older woman had looked at her even though they had never even laid eyes on one another before… unless the woman had been told about her. If Lacus had been described to someone then it wasn't like she couldn't be easily picked out in a crowd – her hair made sure of that. Back in Yasura there had been a large diversity of hair colour. There were many colours: blonde, brown black, blue, green; just to name a few but out of these she had never in her entire life seen a single person with pink hair. The girl felt sure that she was not the only pinkette in the world. It was just that she had never met another. This led her to believe that maybe there weren't that many with such outlandish hair pigmentation. "Cagalli?" she asked in a tone full of uncertainty. She had to know. "Did you speak with your stepmother about me?"

"What, why would we talk about _you_?" the blonde asked curtly. "Don't you think we have better things to talk abou…" she continued but cut herself off when she caught the other girl's anxious eyes. She seemed to be worried about something. The blonde girl's expression softened as her curiosity grew. "Why?" she questioned.

"The way she looked at me… us" Lacus explained. It felt like she was looking right at me.

"You _do_ kind of stick out."

"No, it's not just that. It's almost as if she knew me and had a personal vendetta. Our eyes only met for a few seconds but somehow I could feel her anger. It was as though she seriously loathed me with all the fuming intensity that can possibly be contained within one human heart."

"I don't think it's you she hates" Cagalli sighed.

"_What?"_ the pinkette thought confusedly _"I was sure she was looking right at me."_

"Although she may have shot a dirty look at you I wouldn't worry too much about it. She may well hate you though so just keep that in mind. That woman is _so_ fickle. It's a shame. Under different circumstances the two of you could have become good friends. The two of you are so alike. Lacus narrowed her eyes at the comment.

_You don't even know me,_ she retorted bitterly inside her head. _Don't you stand there and tell me what I am._ She didn't allow any of this bitterness to escape and felt sure that none of it had surfaced. Her mask of happiness remained intact. "Why do you think she hates me?"

"Don't take it personally. She hates _all_ Yasurians."

"Why?"

"Because they gave refuge to those whom she despises more than anything."

"Coordinators" Tolle guessed.

"Yeah, that's right. That's another thing the two of you have in common Lacus." The pinkette let the comment slide. "She hates everyone from Yasura because that city accepted Coordinator refugees and now that's what we are doing. 'Blue Cosmos destroyed Yasura and they'll do the same to us and any other city that accepts those refugees.' That's what people at school have been saying." The girl shook her head slowly. "I don't believe that and I don't think many others do either. It's probably just a small group of bigots breeding hate. Probably armatures, copycats."

Lacus swallowed hard. It was hard to believe that there was still this much hostility between Coordinators and Naturals. In Yasura it hadn't been like this and because of it all citizens would be labelled as public enemies within the territory of the Atlantic federation. Her eyes moved over to Mirriallia. "What now?" the brunette asked. "How are we supposed to get back?" Her eyes locked on to Lacus' orbs, asking the question for her. Lacus looked at Cagalli and then back to Mirriallia. She let out another sigh. Would she regret this? Slowly, after much internal deliberation she gave her head a slight nod.

"I'll see if the Reverend can give you a ride to where you are staying… or at least back to the church."

"Thanks" Mirriallia said gratefully.

"Don't thank me now. I haven't even _asked_ yet."

"Shouldn't we get going?" Cagalli said suddenly. The others looked around and saw a mass of people gathered around the building. The group walked toward the large gathering and stood in the back, behind everyone else. From their vantage point it was difficult to see or hear anything but it was clear that the ceremony had just started.

The Reverend stood up on the top of the large round stone steps delivering a speech to the gathered crowd. He spoke words of truth as well as words of faith. He spoke prayers for the souls that had left the Earth. He preyed for each person that had lost their life in the tragedy before leading them away from the stone grey building of business.

The reverend walked in front, leading the people behind him like a herd of farm animals. The silent expedition took place without thought and without speech. The unthinking horde of drones blindly followed the holy man from the centre of the city to a quiet secluded area, an area shrouded in the shadow of forest.

The reverend stopped in the centre of the forest and the people gathered around him, their mass of bodies forming a large ring. The reverend stood in the middle of the ring and addressed the people. Just behind him sat a square stone structure – The memorial. It was a stone plaque, about one cubic metre in size. On the plaque was inscribed a prayer for the souls the victims so that they might find eternal salvation after their hellish ruin. Gathered around the memorial were people far too numerous to count and among them stood the only person that the pink haired girl wanted to see.

Lacus weaved her way through the crowd of anonymousness and slipped past the unrecognisable faces on the way to her father. She glanced back and noticed the Cagalli and her two former friend's right behind her. They were following her and probably would until she guaranteed them a ride. That was the only reason they were within one hundred metres of the girl. _Some friends those two turned out to be, truly great_ she thought with more bitterness than even Shani could manage when the subject of clowns or zoos, the circus or practically anything children related came up.

Lacus serenely closed in on the tall blond that was her father. The man held in his left hand a bundle of flowers. She noticed that many other people also had flowers just like the ones Siegel happened to be holding. The man shifted his gaze to the small gaggle of teenagers making their way awkwardly toward him through the other mourners. An amused smile played itself on his lips.

−His daughter was leading them here.

Lacus pushed her way through the gaps between the innumerable other people gathered around the plaque, all the while trying not the bother them too much. Soon enough she found herself standing next to her father – the place where she wanted to be all along. Standing beside him she felt a little warmth flowing deep within her as if she were finally home. Her expression warmed as she tried to ignore the many intruders in this family affair – including the three standing close behind her.

Without so much as a word Siegel handed his daughter a single white rose and she took it just as silently. Lacus caressed the brittle petals softly with her thumb. _This flower probably wouldn't survive much longer even if it hadn't been cut_. It was mid-autumn – the time of the year when Mother Nature takes back the life she has created. The green stem of the plant cutting was lined with many small thorns. The girl traced her thumb down the length of the hard green stem. It hovered for a moment over one of the thorns before pressing down. The sharp thorn pushed the pale skin of the girl's thumb inward, indenting it but not piercing it. She could feel the pointed thorn, but didn't press down hard enough for said thorn to break the skin of her thumb.

Siegel handed three more roses to Tolle. The boy took one for himself and handed the others to Miriallia, who did likewise, keeping one and handing the other to Cagalli. Directly in front of them seemingly unnoticed by everyone, the pink haired girl had her eyes closed. Her thumb was still pushing down against the thorn. When she finally opened her eyes she saw that people were approaching the monument and placing flowers on the plaque – a gift for their poor deceased loved ones. "Go on" Siegel said softly, encouraging his daughter to follow suit. "Go and place that on the monument. The idea is that if you want to talk to her then she will hear you. At the very least it is a mark of respect." Lacus nodded to show that she understood. This was it, time to make amends. This was the moment she had been waiting for all week, ever since the tragedy first took place. At last she could apologise to her mother. Her turn had come up.

She inhaled deeply and stepped forward. The world around her fell silent and all other entities excluding the monument went black – completely covered in an inescapable darkness as though the light had been completely drawn out from them. She couldn't see them but knew they were there – staring at her. She could feel their eyes in her back like knives.

The girl stepped up to the plaque, her hand holding on to her rose a little tighter than customary. She closed her eyes and the bleak black darkness from within engulfed her completely.

−_Mo-ther…_

−_I'm… I'm here_

Lacus tightened her grip on the rose. The thorns stuck into her skin. What could she do? What could she say? _Why did I even come here?_

−_Everyone…I'm sorry_

She could feel tears forming in her eyes once again. How many times had she cried in the past week? Far too many to count, it was pitiful. _No, not again. Not anymore. Not now, never again_. She would never cry again. Not in public. She would never let anyone see her like this again. Thorns dug into her skin as she fought back the tears.

−_Farewell mother… everyone else. I'm sorry… and goodbye. I hope you can rest in peace._

The girl's hands loosened their hold on the rose and allowed it to fall downward. The flower landed with the others on top of the Plaque. Lacus opened her eyes and fixed her smile before turning around to face the people behind her – it came too her easier and easier each time she used it.

As she walked back, Lacus crossed paths with the other three. They were on their way to pay their respects and decorate the monument for themselves. She walked between the two brunettes without so much as a single sound. She kept her neck determinedly strait. She looked strait ahead. She didn't meet their eyes, she couldn't. There was no way the girl could bring herself to look either of her former friends and she especially couldn't force herself to make eye contact. If she did, what would they see, a girl smiling at the equivalent of her mother's funeral?

Suddenly, she found a resolve within the confines of the porcelain mask she now wore. _Let them think what they will._ She no longer cared. It was better that they think of her as heartless and hard than know the truth. This was for their own good… it was for _her_ own good. It was the only way she could keep living without everyone worrying about her. She was determined. She would play the part like the true actress she had once been led to believe that she was. She would smile and pretend that everything was perfectly fine. Nobody would be any the wiser. Nobody would realise the emotions concealed by the facade she would put on. At her old school she had been a top student in both music and drama – the former she no longer held any interest for and the other she would cling to like a life raft. Deception was her last defence. This would work. She would hide behind the mask she had just fashioned – the mask she had just worn today for the first time. No eyes would peek under her fabrication and she would go on living this lie until she died.

That was the girl's plan but even as she ran the thoughts through the processing plant of her mind she knew deep down that from this moment on, nothing would ever be the same.

Lacus had indeed been a talented actress. In fact even her father remained unaware of the thoughts portrayed within his daughters head. He watched the girl as each step she took brought her steadily closer. Siegel's eyes remained fixated upon his daughter's expression.

−She was smiling.

Perhaps the Reverend had known what he was talking about the night before. Siegel wondered if the man was himself a father. He seemed to be full of advice as though he had dealt with such things before. Did he have children? If so, where were they? The blond wondered if they perhaps might have died during the course of the last war… that is, assuming the man actually _was_ a parent.

Siegel allowed his lips to curl at the sight of his daughter. She had taken this better than he thought she would have. It reminded him of the conversation he had had with the Reverend.

_Siegel leaned back against the kitchen countertop and took a sip from his coffee. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. He was still concerned about his daughter._

"_I'm not quite sure" the Reverend answered serenely. "It could be quite the challenge for her." They were talking about the welfare of Lacus. Both were concerned but the Reverend seemed to have more of a laid-back attitude towards the girl, opting to let her try things on her own. This may not have been so surprising considering the pinkette was not his daughter, but the spawn of the man standing in his kitchen._

"_I understand your point of view, Reverend but still…" the blond trailed off._

"_I know what you mean, Siegel and believe me, I understand your concern but are you sure that protecting her like this is going to solve anything?"_

"_I know" Siegel defended "but… I just don't want her to suffer any more than she has to."_

"_I understand… this will be a great test for her."_

"_What do you mean 'a test?'"_

"_To see if she can cope with being out with everybody."_

"_I'd rather not treat this situation as though it were a game."_

"_Not a game, an experiment, a trial. A test to see how she can cope, think about it, there will be a lot of people there at the memorial tomorrow. Just like at school. It will be no different. That's what makes it a fair test, and we will be there to observe her reaction. If she responds well to being in public there she can probably handle being in the school grounds. If not then it's probably best for her to take some time off and relax for a while."_

"_I'm still not sure about this."_

"_Think about it. This test will put your mind at ease. You won't be worrying so much about her when she's at school all day. It will also be beneficial for Lacus. If for whatever reason she _does_ panic, we will be there right beside her for the entire time and if need be, you may simply take her somewhere isolated to calm down. Trust me. It will be significantly less traumatic for her as opposed to the situation she might face alone at school."_

_Siegel contemplated this for a good solid moment before announcing his final decision. "I suppose you're right. If she still wants to go then she can come with us. If not then I may as well stay here with her." The reverend smiled as he nodded._

The pink haired girl's former friends and _their_ new friend had their turn at the monument. The moles finished their business with the plaque and had now returned to their hole behind Lacus. The reverend approached them. _His_ part in this ceremony was now over. The ceremony itself was more or less finished but the memorial would remain intact as compensation for the fact that there were no graves for the fire's victims. Anyone was free to come to the monument and prey or just remember. "We can get going whenever you want… of course we can stay if you'd like." Lacus nodded to show she had heard him but her eyes remained transfixed strait ahead of her. "Would you like to get going now?" he asked, although there was no urgency in his voice, just patience. Lacus nodded.

"Um," she said awkwardly.

"Yes, what is it?"

"These three," she said, referring to the teenagers standing right behind her.

"What about them?"

"Can they… um, maybe… get a- a ride?"

"Where to?"

"The church… or maybe the houses they are staying in."

"Where do they live?" Lacus' face went blank. She had no idea. She had never bothered to ask them. She had been far too preoccupied with herself. The reverend sensed this. "Can you direct me?" he asked the three.

"Well, those two are together" Cagalli said "but I'm living in another house."

"Do you know where it is?"

"Of course I do!" Cagalli snapped. She hated being treated like a simpleton. "I mean… yes, I'm sorry."

"Alright, come with me to the car. It might be a bit of a tight squeeze though. Are you okay with that?"

"Yes" the three said unanimously.

"Good, then we should be able to fit the four of you in the back… I think it will be alright." When they got to the Reverend's rather petite car the teenagers realised what the man had meant by 'a tight squeeze.' The car was a white two door coupe. Hardly built for speed or power and definitely not designed for showing off but it did have a good economical rating. "Well, what are you waiting for?" the man asked. He opened the passenger side door and put the seat forward so that they could all climb in the back. Lacus moved toward the car when the Reverend stopped her. "Hold on Lacus, The smallest should go in the middle."

Lacus looked at the other people around her – the ones that were around about her age. _I'm the smallest,_ she wondered, perplexity letting itself known on her face. Her confusion was not misplaced either. The girl's weedy frame towered above those around her.

"Well, you know what I mean" the Reverend said as though reading her mind. "You may not be the shortest but I'm pretty sure you're the slimmest… possibly a little too slim to be truly healthy."

_We're not going to go over this again, are we?_

Cagalli stepped into the car and sat on the far side of the seat that stretched from one side of the car to the other. Mirriallia slid in beside her followed by Lacus. Tolle sat on the other side of the Pinkette. It was just like old times, save for the intruder. The reverend put the seat back in place, trapping the teens in the back and walked around to the driver's seat while Siegel sat in the passenger's side. Both doors closed simultaneously with a moderate bang and the engine started. The reverend pulled away from his parking space and headed for the residential district.

The trip was completely silent. Not only did nobody talk, even the car's engine remained inaudible. It was a ten minute drive from the Town Hall to the residential district and considering the pinkette's company the time dragged on insufferably. It was like being trapped in a sack before drowned in a lake with the unwanted leftovers from a litter of puppies. The windows were up and as a result the car's interior was hot and stuffy. The girl might have fallen asleep if not for the former friends squishing against her on either side. It was a tight fit alright and since Lacus was in the middle, she was the one getting her guts pushed out like the last dribble of toothpaste in an old tube. _So _this_ was why the Reverend wanted me in the middle._ She should have known.

As the Reverend drove them through the streets of the city Mirriallia directed him on where to go. Eventually, the car came to a halt and the passengers got out. The fresh air felt great on their faces after the imprisonment of the car's interior. Mirriallia and Tolle had arrived at their place of refuge and after saying goodbye to everyone they went inside the terracotta brick house and it was once again time for Lacus to return to the economical white tomb, only this time she was more or less alone with the blonde.

The girl sat on the back seat and slid across to the far side as far as she could physically go – pressing herself against the door in the process – to create as much space between herself and Cagalli as possible. This gesture did not go unnoticed. Cagalli sat on the back seat, keeping as much space between the two of them as she could. Siegel put the seat back and sat down, closing the door and clicking his seat belt into place.

"Hmm" said the Reverend, watching the two girls through the rear view mirror. Something was obviously going on between those two and it definitely wasn't good. Perhaps they were fighting about something. Whatever the case, it was not his place to butt in.

They dropped Cagalli off to _her_ house before heading back to the house beside the church. When they arrived, Siegel let Lacus out of the car before getting back in and closing the door behind him. The girl looked at her father with perplexed eyes. The man wound down the window to talk to his daughter. "Can you wait here for us?" he instructed. The sentence was formed into a question for etiquette reasons only. "We won't be long. We're just going for a quick drive."

_They want to talk about me while I'm not around,_ she concluded glumly. She noticed the Reverend fiddling with something under the steering wheel. He passed it to Siegel, who gave it to Lacus. Look after that, won't you? It's the key to the house."

"Thank you" Lacus said. Siegel gave her a nod before rolling up the window once more. Before another second passed, the car pulled away from her and drove off. Now those two were alone and free to talk about her all they liked. She knew they did it. There was no real reason for them to even bother keeping it a secret.

The Reverend drove several neighbourhoods before either he or the man sitting beside him said anything.

−Minutes passed…

−Nothing…

−Still nothing…

−Silence…

−Finally… Siegel spoke. "You were right."

"About what?"

"About Lacus, you said this would be a test for her and I think it was."

"But did she pass? _That_ is the main thing."

"I believe she did." The Reverend did not speak strait away.

"Are you so certain of that Siegel?"

"Yes… why?" The Reverend gave a sigh.

"Have you noticed anything about her at all? Any kind of change in personality?"

"Well, yes actually… but She'll get over it eventually, won't she?"

"It _is_ possible but… I must say that I'm beginning to worry about her. Did I ever tell you about my own daughter?"

"No."

"She would have been twenty four this year. She was a lot like Lacus in many ways, judging by what you've told me. I'm sure they would've become instant friends, if given the chance."

"What happened?"

"She died in Orb. It was in the evacuation in the closing battles of the last war."

"But that was ten years ago."

"That's right. She was only fourteen at the time. Lacus is that age now, isn't she?"

"She'll turn fifteen this year."

"Yes, I thought so."

"What about your daughter?"

"Like I said, she was in Orb when the Atlantic Federation invaded."

"Why was she there?"

"She was staying with my mother at the time. We decided it was best to send her to a high school in the Orb Union since it had a far better reputation than the one here, and it was also an opportunity for her to spend some time with her grandmother. In all honesty it was nothing more than a case of bad timing."

"How unfortunate… she died during the evacuation?"

"Yes… the both of them were on a vessel headed strait for the Equatorial Union. Unfortunately the ship was fired upon by the Atlantic Federation. I still don't know if it was mistaken for a warship or not."

"I'm sorry."

"There is a _reason_ why I suggested you and Lacus stay with me. I would have offered anyway, considering your situation but nonetheless… Lacus reminds me of my own daughter. That's why I'm so concerned. Please don't think of me as interfering."

"No, I truly appreciate all your help. You even convinced me to let her attend the ceremony."

"But are you prepared to let her go to school?"

"I think she'll be alright. She handled the ceremony today well enough."

"Are you sure?"

"What are you…? What are you trying to say?"

The reverend let out another sigh. He pulled the car over to the side of the road. He put the handbrake on and looked into the eyes of the man in the passenger seat. "There's something you should know."

* * *

Lacus walked into the bathroom for the second time that day. The girl closed the door behind her to ensure her privacy. She knew she was alone in the house but she needed that feeling of isolation right now. She needed to be alone. She needed to know that no one was going to walk in and see her. The confused and distraught girl walked the tiled floor to the sink and turned on the cold tap. She cupped her hands under the freezing water and splashed it onto her face. The sensation was enough to clear her head.

She had felt sure that attending the memorial would give her a feeling of peace but in the end it had made no difference. She felt just as bad now as she had before – perhaps even more so. Everyone must have seen the way she had been acting and behaving. She had been so bitter towards Cagalli. Even if the blonde deserved it, it still reflected on her badly. Every time the two met, they seemed to bring out the worst in each other. Every time the pinkette tried to apologise or make amends she just ended up making things worse.

The girl collapsed onto the marble once again. It wasn't fair. She had no more clarity now than she had before. Was it still alright for her to exist? She still did not know. Tears came to her eyes. What was she changing into? She was becoming so loathsome. She could hardly stand it. She turned her head and looked in the mirror to her left and was utterly disgusted by the despicable sight.

Staring back at her was a different girl – one she had never seen before. She had the same hair and eyes but something was wrong. She didn't recognise her own reflexion. The girl staring at her had her lips twisted into a smile. This was the mask she had forged for herself – her mask of sanity.

Her mouth opened ajar and she did something she didn't really feel up to. The girl inhaled and felt a tension from her diaphragm. As she let the air out from her lungs, a sound followed. It was a foreign sound that engulfed her vocal chords, a sound that was unlike anything she had made before. Her lips barely formed the words. Her voice quivered from emotion and exhaustion. It was a song she had never sung before and perhaps never would again. It was something unfamiliar.

_Yes, I am falling…_

_How much longer 'till I hit the ground?_

_I can't tell you why I'm breaking down._

_Do you wonder why I prefer to be alone?_

_Have I really lost control?_

By the time the girl had finished, the tears had already begun to spill and she could do nothing to stop them. She cringed at her reflexion and turned away from the mirror in disgust. The grotesque sight of her own image deeply sickened her. With the soundless tears rolling down her cheeks seeping from underneath her tightly closed eyelids, Lacus continued the sad slow song. As she sung the last words, she could feel her voice failing her.

_I am coming to an end_

_I've realised what I could've been_

_I can't sleep so I take a breath_

_And hide behind my bravest mask_

_I admit I've lost control_

_Lost control…_

* * *

The thoughts of the day just passed were echoing though Cagalli's mind as she walked into her house. The white-water stream of thought gushed inside her skull, drowning her brain. A Bustling could be heard from the kitchen. Her stepmother was obviously doing something in there. "So you're back then, are you?" her voice asked "took you long enough." Cagalli walked towards the open door to the kitchen only to have the woman meet her in the hallway. The older woman had wavy blond hair – just short of shoulder length. She had a look in her eye that told she was angry. "What exactly have you been doing all this time?"

"What?" Cagalli asked in response. What was with this older woman's attitude? It was hard to believe, especially after leaving her on her own at the memorial and now here she was talking as though she'd just caught her daughter sneaking in at 3AM.

"Well?"

"I was at the memorial. I thought you'd know that since you dropped me off. Why exactly did you leave me there?"

"You seemed to be having fun with them. I didn't want to interrupt."

"You could have at least said something. You didn't tell me where you were going… you didn't even come back. How was I supposed to get home?"

"You got here easily enough, didn't you?" the woman said crudely.

"That… that's not the point" Cagalli retorted. "It could have easily turned out different. It was lucky that we were able to get a ride back. It wasn't just _me _you stranded. It was two others as well."

"You can't make me feel guilty Cagalli."

"I'm not trying to!"

"Then what _are_ you doing?"

"I… why can't you just answer me?" Cagalli pleaded.

"Very well… I left you there."

"I _know_ that much. I want you to tell me _why_."

"Why? There _is_ no reason. I simply needed to be here."

"You just felt like coming home?"

"Yes, that is correct. Anything's better than being there with _them._"

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?!!"

"Do you know who you were with?"

"What do you mean?"

"Those people I saw you with."

"_You_ know those two. They're friends I made. You should know them, you gave them a ride."

"Not them, the other one, the one with the long pink hair."

"Oh… her" the younger blonde said dully.

"Yes, _her_, do you even know who she is?"

"Yeah, she's an old friend of those other two."

"No, she's more than that."

"What?"

"She and her father are living with the Reverend now. They're living in his house, corrupting it, desecrating it with their presence."

"So what?" the girl asked her stepmother. "They had nowhere else to go. All the families willing to accept refugees into their homes have someone staying with them. I didn't see _you_ taking anybody in so in a way, it's really your fault. She knew it was coming but she didn't care. She had the morel superiority. The hand came through the air and slapped her hard across the face. This wasn't the first time but it usually wasn't so hard. Her cheek stung. It was starting to get warmer. It was burning. Cagalli could just imagine it turning a dark shade of pink, perhaps even red. _This _was the woman whom she had to call a parent. "Did you hit me because you know I'm right, just because I don't agree with you? I must say, that shows _real_ class!"

"Shut up!" her stepmother roared. "How _dare_ to talk to me like that about things you don't even understand. You think you do but you _don't_. You don't get it. Don't you realise why their city burned down? That city wasn't Yasura… it was Sodom!"

"Oh god…"

"It's true. Don't you wonder why their homes all burned down?"

"It was an act of terrorism.

"It was an act of God!"

"It was not!"

"It _was_!"

"It was Blue Cosmos, isn't that obvious to you?"

"Cagalli, are you the one going around saying that? Blue Cosmos is no more. _Everyone_ knows that. Yasura burned because of the refugees they let in."

"I don't believe this," Cagalli said, but her comment was unheard since her stepmother continued to talk over her.

"Coordinators are against nature. They are against what God intended. Their very _existence_ is a sin. Can't you get that through your head? Can't you understand even _that_ simple fact? If we let them stay, then we'll be next!" Cagalli shook her head in disbelief. This couldn't be real. She couldn't be hearing this. This had to be a dream, but of course, it wasn't. "We are even worse off than some of the other cities because of _those_ two. Siegel Clyne and his daughter were members of that horrible sinful city and now they have weaselled their way into the church. You mark my words. We'll be the next city to go if we don't do something about this."

"I can't believe you" Cagalli replied. Her voice was weak. "Your one of the ones spreading these malicious lies?"

"They're not lies Cagalli. It hurts me to see you with _their_ kind."

"This is low, even for you." Her stepmother could only give a loud harsh bark.

"You're calling _me_ low? You're the one spending all your time with those lowlifes."

"How can you say that? You don't even _know_ them!"

"I know some of them a lot better than you think, particularly Yamato and the Clynes."

"Then you must know her. The two of you are alike. You are as hateful as _she_ is. It's too bad that you let the place where she grew up be a deciding factor of whether or not to despise her. If you both grew up together, I'm sure you and Lacus would get on _so_ well." Her stepmother snorted out of contempt.

"I doubt that."

"You are even alike in that sense."

"I hate the fact that you call people like that friends. It sickens me to even think of you as family." Cagalli's eyes widened. She looked at her stepmother and noticed her enraged appearance. Her eyes were set in stone. Her nostrils were flared and her skin was at that moment turning the colour of beetroot. "I won't have any daughter of mine put under the influence of Coordinators or those whom associate with that level of _filth_!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not your real daughter then, isn't it, Alga!" Another hard slap hit the blonde in the face, making another red mark on the girl's face just when the first was beginning to fade.

"Get out!" the older blonde ordered with pure malice and rage etched into every millimetre of her face. Resentment was flooding from every pore in the woman's skin.

"With pleasure," Cagalli replied. She turned on her heels and stormed out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her as hard and loud as she could. The farther and longer she could get away from _that woman,_ the better.

**First of all, I want to talk about that so**

* * *

ng. I know that it's not the kind of music that Lacus would normally be into but I got it stuck in my head when I wrote that part so I thought 'what the hell' and decided to put it in. I figured that having somebody singing the lyrics would be the easiest way to insert them so there it is. Tell me your opinion but try to remain open minded about it. If you are going to review, please try to refrain from saying something like "WTF have you done to my favourite Character?!!" Or "You're a freak and your music sucks!" Such reviews will increase the review count but they will be mainly ignored. Non music related reviews are − as always − welcome and greatly appreciated. Also, you may notice that I made Lacus possibly a little too bitter in this chapter, I don't know. Either way, most of her bitterness is mostly directed towards Cagalli anyway. Let me know what you think, I truly appreciate all kinds of feedback. For this chapter I was aiming for a word length of six thousand but I wound up with almost double that and for anyone who might be wondering, once I had it all planned out it took just under three weeks to write.


	12. The Thirteenth Fleet

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sown under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Gundam Seed

**Author's Notes: **I know this update has been a long time coming and I've been holding off from writing it. I even wrote a chapter for another story and started a new one during the writing of this. I don't have high hopes for this chapter and I don't expect many people to particularly enjoy it. After all, I didn't particularly enjoy writing it but at least I've finally introduced the pilots and GUNDAMs… well, technically, only one or two of them can be called what you'd expect a GUNDAM to be. (Don't worry, you'll understand when you get there.)

**Episode II: Sowing the Seeds of Separation**

**CE 270: **Commander Hargthern and the crew of the Leviathan have arrived at the incomplete orbital city: Heliopolis II and are greeted by an unexpected audience. Once docking there, they are to await the additions to their crew as well as the newest and most potent of prototype weapons.

* * *

**Phase 12 – The Thirteenth Fleet**

There was no way getting around the fact. Space was a vacuum, pure and simple. It was an endless void like a fictional 'bottomless chasm' used to delude the worthless, fragile, mortally weak minds of the carcinogenic curs known only as tourists. Unlike the ingeniously overhyped gorges and tourist hotspots, the vacuum of space really did go on and on, spreading out indefinitely in all directions. It honestly was a fatal death trap, especially for anyone foolish enough to try scouting out new planets or even stars. The only person to even come close to attempting such a feat had in fact been the world's first Coordinator: George Glenn.

The brilliant multi-achiever's contributions had indeed helped humanity greatly in the early years of the Cosmic Era colander and yet the man had caused just about as many problems as he did resolve. The world _was_ after all thrown into darkness after _his_ confession, the same darkness that continued to shroud the world to this very day.

Needless to say, this wasn't the kind of future that man had envisioned but after two hundred or so years of semi-constant war, any civilisation can loose its way. Generations had passed and countless lives had been lost but in the overall scheme of things old hatreds never die. It was for this very reason that warships like the Leviathan continued to be a necessity.

The Space Carrier in question made its final approach to its objective – an as of yet incomplete Colony. The as of yet unofficially launched Archangel Class slowed to a complete halt at the dock, waiting for the airlock to open.

"Captain!" a CIC operator announced suddenly as a message appeared on his monitor. "I'm picking up a signal from a port #0033927178077."

"Reply in the affirmative to all requests" the captain ordered.

"Yes sir!" the operator replied, typing coded replies to the anonymous signal. For the longest time the bridge was engulfed by a near insufferable silence that threatened to drive even the sanest of specimens over the edge.

−silence

−for minutes on end

−nothing…

−nothing……

−still nothing…

−then finally

"We've been granted permission to enter port." The entire crew seemed to sigh in relief. Even though there had been little to no doubt – they _were_ following orders – but Hargthern – the Commander known for always being ready for anything – had advised many Crewmen to remain on edge in case anything should go wrong. For all they knew, the pilots of those GINNs could still be in the area.

The airlock to the Colony opened and the Leviathan turned 180 degrees before reverse-thrusting into Docking Bay Three. The carrier landed and docking arms closed in around it, securing it in place. Lastly, the airlock closed, the docking bay door opened and a group of soldiers approached the Leviathan with weapons in hand.

The Leviathan's entry ramp lowered, allowing access to the soldiers who instantly swarmed like hornets from a busted nest to lock down all offensive and defensive systems on the Capital Ship. There was little the Captain could do other than sit back – fists tightly clenched at his superiors' actions – and wait for the swarm to penetrate the bridge.

Before long they had arrived. "They're not wasting time, are they captain?" Hargthern commented.

"Not now!" the Captain snapped. He didn't have the patience for the Commander's dry humour. Indecently, he also didn't have the time, for at that very moment the elevator arrived bringing with it a group of soldiers. "What is the meaning of this?!!" the Captain demanded.

"_Please_ remain _silent_ about _things_ you _don't_ understand" one of the soldiers retorted.

"I beg your pardon, _crewman_ but as Captain, I outrank you. Now _answer_ me!" The soldier shot an obvious glare at the Captain but answered nevertheless.

"_We_ have _reason_ to _believe_ that _you_ have a _stowaway_ on _board_."

"What?!!" the Captain bellowed. "That's preposterous!"

"So what does that mean, exactly?" Hargthern asked. "Why lockdown the ship fir a trivial matter like this?"

"_You_ don't _understand_. This _stowaway_ is _no_ mere _civilian_."

"Then who?"

"A _dangerous_ fugitive."

"Who?" the Commander repeated.

"I'm afraid we are not at liberty to disclose any more information than we already have" another soldier replied. Hargthern's eyes suddenly widened. For mere entry-rank soldiers like these to refuse both a Commander _and_ a Captain…

"_They must be getting orders from someone incredibly high up."_

One of the soldiers depressed the talk button of his radio. "Lockdown of Archangel-class complete" he said "search of ship now commencing."

"Roger" said the voice on the other end of the transmission. Several of the soldiers descended to other areas of the ship while two remained with their arms trained on the Captain.

"Is that _really_ necessary?" Hargthern asked "What do you think we're gonna do?" One of the soldiers turned his sights to the Commander.

"Shut it!" one of the soldiers snapped. Hargthern noticed his index finger – hovering over the trigger of his rifle – seemed to be twitching uncontrollably, as was the tissue surrounding the sunken gulf of his left eye. What passed as an extremely tense period of silence so heavy it could have crushed them all faster than gravity itself.

After yet _another_ unbearable silence had passed over the bridge-crew one of the Soldiers' radio's beeped, putting an end to the horrid tension. The soldier held up his radio – lowering his rifle in the process – and depressed the talk button. "Sir?" he asked.

"_Area secure"_ the soldier on the other end said. _"Our fears are unfounded_. Tell him the _fugitive_ is still at large."

"_Tell him?"_ Hargthern asked himself inside his head _"Tell whom?"_ The soldier looked to his comrade who nodded and held up his own radio.

"Sir" he said.

"_Yes?"_

"Ship of the Search is complete. We didn't find anything."

"_Roger, I'm coming aboard."_

"Yes sir!"

"_Who is that?"_ Hargthern wondered _"Who is coming aboard? Which person could possibly be in charge of these men? He would have to be very high up in the chain of command… probably an admiral."_ The Commander's questions were answered soon enough as the Elevator ascended once more to the bridge, carrying a tall man with long wavy black hair and chocolate brown almond eyes. At the sight of him, the Captain allowed his eyes to widen with incredulous amazement. He instantly saluted the man. Hargthern did the same.

"M-mister President" the Captain said aloud.

This man was none other than the President of the Atlantic Federation. He smiled and said "At ease… Commander Hargthern, I've been meaning to speak to you." Hargthern looked around as if searching for another with his own name. He pointed to himself before speaking.

"Me sir?" The President nodded.

"The Commander and The Captain will come with me. The rest of the crew are to remain here."

"Yes sir!" the two soldiers said in unison while Hargthern and the Captain joined the President on the Elevator platform. They exited the ship and began walking in the direction of a large building that stood out among all others in the centre of the City.

Once arriving to the building the three men had travelled through corridor after corridor and hallway after hallway before arriving to a room without widows, the only source of light – fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling that showered them in harsh light. The president closed the door behind him. Evidently this was to be used as some kind of briefing room.

"Mister President" the captain was the first to speak "if I may be so bold, how long we are going to actually _be_ here?"

"You may" the President answered "and to answer your question, it shouldn't be too long but you should prepare for quite a long stay anyway. You are to be stationed here until resupply and additions to your crew are complete."

"Additions?" Hargthern asked.

"Yes. Four new pilots for the four prototype mobile weapons you have on board."

"I see."

"And it goes without saying, Hargthern, that _you_ will be piloting the Mobile Armour." Hargthern looked surprised. "But I thought we were having new pilots for that. There won't be enough… there are only three mobile suits, aren't there?"

"Another one will be assigned to your ship."

"Another prototype?" The president nodded.

"You see, as revolutionary as your current prototype mobile weapons are, there are really nothing more than support models. This new Mobile suit will really blow _anything_ out of the water and as the pilot of the brand new avant-garde Mobile armour; you will be in charge of all other pilots during a sortie. You will personally be in command of every battle."

"You say that like we are in a warzone" Hargthern commented dryly.

"Just being precautionary, with those terrorists out there, who knows what may happen. You are dismissed. Go and inform your crew of what you have learned here. There will be a briefing later − on the Leviathan – regarding the abilities of the prototypes. You are dismissed." Hargthern and the Captain saluted and turned to leave. "Oh, and Commander?" Hargthern turned back to face the President. "I still need to talk privately with you. Shall we do it now?"

"Yes sir" Hargthern replied. He turned to the Captain who left without a word, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Now Commander… are you aware of what has happened on Earth?"

"I heard about the terrorist attack on Yasura."

"Yes…" the President replied "But I'm afraid it had gotten _much_ worse than that. A _lot_ has happened."

"Is the fugitive the one behind all this?" The president nodded sadly.

"I'm afraid he is." The president began pacing back and forth in front of Hargthern. "He has caused us a lot of trouble and I'm afraid that you may be here for a longer stay than I at first let on."

"Sir?" the commander asked.

"I think it goes without saying but all ships have been grounded until further notice… or more accurately, until the fugitive has been apprehended." The dark-haired politician paused to take in Hargthern's reaction before continuing. "I apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause. I know how you like to jump right into the action, so to speak."

"It seems my reputation precedes me" Hargthern grinned. "How long do you think it will take for him to be found?"

"I do not know… but we _must_ take him down. He must _pay_ for his crimes."

"How exactly did he escape?"

"He was attending a hearing at the UEN headquarters in which he did not like the verdict so he decided to bust out."

"You are seriously telling me he shot up the UEN and survived? That place is a fortress. There is a company of elite troops on _every_ floor!" The president nodded.

"Within half an hour, the death toll was over two hundred and forty."

−Hargthern nearly gagged on the news.

"And that's not all. The last person to lose his life… was the UEN Chairman."

−Hargthern was speechless.

"There was another person whom the fugitive killed, someone of importance to you."

"W-who?" The President walked across the room and retrieved a box. He walked back to the Commander and handed it over." Hargthern looked inside the box and his eyes widened in realization of what this meant. His fingers tensed around the box so tightly that they ran the risk of bursting through the cardboard frame. "W-who i-is it? The fu-fugitive." He looked through eyes that both pleaded and threatened. "Please… tell me. I need… I need to know!" The Chairman closed his eyes and expelled a large breath before speaking in a voice that was barely audible. Fortunately for Hargthern, he just so happened to be an experienced lip reader.

"Muruta Azrael."

Hargthern's eyes widened. Why, why was he…? He was supposed to be on _their_ side. Why had he betrayed them like this? Sure, he made a few monstrous decisions but never against his own faction. His enemies had always been the Coordinators. Why had he turned on the UEN like this. For what reason did that sadistic abomination betray Earth in such a way? He would _not_ get away with this despicable treachery.

"Commander?" the President said, snapping Hargthern out of his internal truth seeking. "Azrael _will_ pay for what he done. You can be sure of that. He won't get away with this.

"Oh, I know he won't…" the Commander replied. "So then, was it also him that destroyed one of those Eurasian towns in North America?"

"Yes" the President replied. "It could only have been _him_. I doubt that anyone else could have done such a thing. Also, he was threatening to destroy a city if he did not get his way. I for one thought he was bluffing. I figured it was impossible for him to get a detonator into the debating chambers. I wonder what the Chairman thought about it. Either he thought he was calling the madman's bluff… or maybe he was willing to sacrifice those run-down cities. Who knows? The simple fact is he destroyed the city single-handedly."

"How barbaric, it's not enough for him to slaughter the military. Did he _have_ to destroy the lives of innocent civilians as well?"

"He probably thought nothing of it" the President assumed. "You are dismissed. I'm sure you wish to be alone for a while. I will meet you later on the Leviathan." Hargthern saluted the President, turned on his heels and exited the building.

The man departed from the building and walked in aggravated solitude. The tranquil atmosphere of the Colony's interior may have been a perfect cloudless blue sky but in the confines of Hargthern's mind, a storm raged with ambient fury. Outside of him where there existed not even a slight breeze, in his mind a furious hurricane was blowing and in the eye of this storm sat the one thing on the man's mind – his lust for revenge, the very thing that fuelled the raging blizzard within him.

"_Az-ra-el!"_ he thought in his head. The man still clutched at the box − containing the personal items of a soldier killed in action – in both hands and once again, his grip was so tight that it threatened to collapse the container. _"Damn you Azrael… you won't get away with this. I will make you pay… you will pay for this with your life."_

He closed his eyes in remembrance of the deceased soldier for whom the Commander mourned. The soldier did not deserve to die in such a way. He was still young. he had his entire life ahead of him. He was barely into his twenties. Hargthern himself was only twenty nine.

"_Brother…"_ he mourned "_Believe in me. I swear it. You _will_ be avenged."_

The man was so full of rage that he didn't even notice that he was on a collision course. He happened to be walking so fast at the time that when he bumped in to someone he simply kept going, sending them to the ground. He muttered a quiet apology without turning around and then instantly picked up his speed.

"Hey, dumbass!" an angry voice called out after him. Hargthern just kept walking without even turning to check on the person.

"_If she has time to waste being angry then she can't be injured."_ The thought that the city was not even open to civilians didn't hint at crossing his mind. He was already far too preoccupied.

"Why don't you watch where you're goi−" the voice said but cut itself off in the middle of its sentence. Hargthern kept walking away from the person but got the feeling he was being followed. The sounds of heavy breathing and footsteps on the pavement were a dead giveaway. Rather than ask what he person wanted he just increased his pace even more. He had no time for this angry person. He had _already_ apologised. What _else_ did she want?"

"−Hey, wait!" she called after him. His simply ignored her.

"−Commander, wait!" Hargthern stopped dead and felt the person run right into his back. ""Uhhgh" she groaned from annoyance at running into him. Hargthern turned around and looked at the person. He had never seen her before in his life.

Standing before him was a girl in her late teens. She had long blond hair that came down just below her shoulders and bangs that flowed down the left side of her face, just meeting the eyebrows over her russet eyes. She wore the female's OMNI military uniform. "Who… are you?" the Commander asked her. She smiled and produced her ID.

"I'm your new Pilot" she said. "My names Rina, I've been assigned to the Leviathan."

"Right" Hargthern said "but how did you know who I was?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked with a grin "Even if you weren't wearing that uniform" she said, pointing out Hargthern's Officer's uniform "_Everyone_ knows who _you_ are. You're a hero from the last war. It was _your_ fleet that crushed Orb, right?"

"Yeah" the Commander answered. "You know, fame and recognition is a funny thing. I don't know who you are and yet you seem to know everything about what I've done."

"Yeah, well they _were_ landmark achievements."

"But _I_ didn't do it _all_. I had a lot of help."

"But it was _your_ fleet.

"But I had a lot of help."

"But _you_ were the one in charge, right? You inspired your men's moral and led them to victory."

"Everyone talks about that like some great victory."

"Because it _was_."

"I don't see it that way" Hargthern disagreed. "We were forced to destroy an entire nation and technically, they weren't even an enemy."

"They weren't our ally's either! Besides, they had an abundant number of chances to join us. They were just too stubborn."

"_Is this the way they all see it?"_ Hargthern wondered. Was he _really_ the only one that felt bad about it? In all of the military, did not one single person feel any kind of remorse over their actions? While it was true that they could have surrendered at any time, they had chosen to die for their beliefs. It could be viewed as them taking the honourable way out but did it have to go so far?

"Commander?" Rina said, getting his attention with her concerned tone. "Is something wrong?" Hargthern shook his head.

"It's just that… I just wish it didn't have to go so far. I guess I just feel bad about destroying the whole nation… especially since I was born there."

"Wait, you _were_?!!"

"Yeah, it was once my home… but I hadn't lived there since childhood. What happened there was unfortunate."

"Hmn" Rina said "I had no idea. I can see why you feel bad about having to destroy your home." Hargthern shook his head.

"That's not it" he said. "I don't feel bad just because of that. Even if South Africa or the Equatorial Union were our target, I would still feel bad about it. I don't think it was right to take it so far. I understand that it was important to mass our forces but still… I just wish another way could have been found." Rina nodded.

"Although you have to admit" she said positively "Because of it, this new _peaceful_ world has come about."

"Yeah" Hargthern added bitterly "and all it took was first degree genocide."

"Well, you have Azrael to thank for that." Once the blonde girl had said it she instantly noticed a change in the Commander's reaction, as if the two shared some kind of bad history. She wondered what it could be about. Hargthern had led the first wave of attacks against the Plants but then Azrael had taken over. Perhaps _that_ was it, yes, it must have been. Azrael had used excessive force and launched a nuclear strike – a brutal tactic that may not have been completely necessary. The Commander looked at her. His expression had returned to neutral.

"Are you sure that this world is peaceful?"

"What do you mean?"

"We may be in a time of peace _now_ but I'm not sure how long it can hope to last. Remember, there is a momentary calm in every hurricane."

"So then you think this peace is just the eye of the storm?" Hargthern nodded.

"Don't ask me why, something just makes me feel uneasy. After everything that has happened, I get the feeling that all is not over." Rina looked at him with wide eyes. She was not in the last war and he felt sorry for her. If this turned out the way he thought it would, many of the new generation of soldiers would not survive and those that did may not do so to live happy lives. After a momentary pause he spoke up again. "Come on" he said "We should get back to the dock." Rina nodded and they made their way to the Leviathan.

Hargthern and Rina entered the dock and saw the single monumental ship before them. It was surprising that one class of ship could remain operational for so long without being replaced. It was an effective carrier both in space and at sea but not only that; it contained more firepower than most destroyers. The Archangel was a work of art. There was no getting around _that_ fact. They walked around the dock, each step bringing them closer to the magnificent craft. They approached the ramp and boarded the Leviathan.

The first thing Hargthern noticed as he looked around the ship was the lack of the armed guard. The President must have ordered them to stand down after realising Azrael was not on board. _"Azrael… where could that madman be, what is he up to?" _Before long he saw the captain who eyed him seriously, probably wondering what it was that he needed to talk to the President about. The man approached him.

"So, what was it that you talked about?" the Captain asked, noting the box Hargthern held in his hands.

"My younger brother's been killed in action" Hargthern said monotonously.

"KIA?" the captain asked "Where, how?"

"He was stationed in the UEN headquarters. It was him, the Fugitive, the one they're searching for."

"They didn't tell you his name?"

"They did, but I cannot release classified information carelessly." The Captain nodded. "We will talk later" Hargthern replied. The captain nodded once more and turned his attention to the girl at Hargthern's side.

"Is this our third?" he asked "The other two pilots are already here."

"I'm Rina" the girl replied, saluting the captain. I'm your third pilot."

"The other pilots are all currently running a battle simulation. If you wouldn't mind, could I ask the two of you to also take part? I would like to see how you handle in a battle. You will find all the new machines connected to the simulator."

"Sir!" the pilot replied, saluting the Captain before heading in the direction of the ship's hanger.

"Me too, sir?" Hargthern asked.

"Yes, you will be piloting the Mobile Armour if I'm not mistaken. This will be a good chance to observe how well you can work with them as a team to defeat an enemy that greatly outnumbers you."

Hargthern climbed into the seat of the simulator and turned it on. The controls of the simulator had been specially crafted to cater for pilots of the new prototype Mobile Armour. As soon as he launched, he saw the three Mobile Suits were linked into his simulation. The other pilots sat in the cockpits of their Mobile suits that had been linked up to the simulator. Hargthern observed the scenario as he flew toward the battle. Two of the Mobile Suits sat atop of the carrier, offering long-range artillery support while the third confronted the enemy at close range. He opened a comm.-link with the third Mobile Suit. "I'll cover you from above" he explained to the pilot.

"Roger" she replied. The pilot within happened to be the one he had run into on the street. Her Mobile Suit seemed to be equipped with a standard beam rifle and two beam swords. She didn't seem to have any kind of shield or CIWS but with Phase Shift Armour and an Anti-beam coating, this weakness was minimised. Also, the GINNs and Nazca class fleet they were against seemed only to be using beam weapons.

The Commander saw the Mobile Suit before him put away its beam rifle and switch to its dual beam swords. Rina's thrusters propelled her forward as her swords sliced through the enemies in front of her, decapitating each and every one and leaving the enemy AI pilots completely blind.

Hargthern readied his missile batteries and launched at the blind opponents as Rina came back, amputating all the GINNs' arms and leaving them completely defenceless. Hargthern was about to open fire on them when he noticed several small heat sources on his radar.

"Commander" a voice said "Clear out of our path. We're firing now." Hargthern and Rina managed to get out of the way just in time as a strong heat source approached them from behind and a massive beam of antimatter shot past them. The beam shot through the defenceless GINNs, disintegrating them on contact and pushing through to the enemy fleet's flagship, hitting the cockpit and core and destroying it. The simulation ended in a victory.

Hargthern's display dimmed and immediately reset. Now he was flying in the atmosphere on Earth over a rocky island. He also noticed that the Mobile Suits were differently equipped. Rina's was essentially the same but had large blue wings mounted on its back to allow for greater mobility in the Earth's atmosphere.

As for the other two, one looked similar to a crab. It had a long russet body with six legs reverse-jointed beneath it, allowing it to jump great distances. Out in front were two bulky telescopic arms with three joints for movability. At the end of each arm sat a massive high-pressure claw capable of gripping, holding down and possible tearing apart an enemy Mobile Suit. On its back were several missile launchers and a massive cannon.

The one remaining weapon was a tank. Its body sat on caterpillar tracks but above that was a humanoid frame. It had a cannon – like a tank's main gun – on its right shoulder and its arms were high-calibre Gatling guns.

"Alright" Rina's voice said over the radio link to the other three machines. "This is a two-on-two practice battle. Me and the Commander against you two."

"Hey… That's not fair. The Commander's a veteran!" a voice complained.

"So what?" the other countered. "He's in a puny Mobile Armour. It doesn't matter _how_ much experience you have in that. You're not gonna beat me!"

"So says the guy in a tank" Rina countered. "Let's go already!" and with that, the battle began.

Rina drew her beam swords and immediately got to work, slicing through the tank and rendering its cannon useless. The crab was quick to counter by grabbing Rina's Mobile Suit with its claws. One claw gripped each of Rina's arms and pulled them apart as far as they would go. "I'm going to split you in half" he laughed. In the humanoid machine's cockpit, Rina's eyes widened.

"N-no!" she screamed but there was nothing she could do. She had no fixed weaponry like the other two did and her arms were locked in his grasp. The telescopic arms lifted the humanoid suit up into the air… into the range of his cannon.

"When this positron cannon charges, it will rip you apart, then there'll be nothing left of you. It will completely eradicate you on a subatomic level. You won't have a single blood cell remaining."

"No, you can't! Not at _this_ range! You'll kill us all!"

The pilot of the crab merely laughed. His joy quickly subdued when he was targeted by a laser designator. He looked around him and noticed several beam emitters floating around him. "Watzisnonsense?" he asked, forming an entire question into a single word. Then simultaneously, the emitters fired. The beams went right through the crab's armour and utterly destroyed it before returning to the Mobile armour.

Next, Hargthern targeted the tank, dodging the machinegun fire from his Gatling guns as he sent his DRAGOONs to surround the opponent in his sights. With another simultaneous firing, the tank too, was destroyed. This time, the simulation ended for good.

Hargthern stepped away from the simulator and approached where the Captain was standing. He noticed the other pilots gathering as well. Then he heard a pair of hands clapping. "Excellent" the President commented. "Perfect, outstanding, very well done indeed."

The President was evidently impressed with the results.

"Just as I thought, you are all excellent pilots and will make an excellent team. Some of you may be a little highly strung, however" the politician said, shooting a glance at one of the pilots "but skilled nonetheless. You will soon develop into great soldiers and those that already are" he said, looking at Hargthern "will become excellent commanders. Maybe someday I'll assign you as Captain of your own ship and send you on the gravest of assignments."

The man never said it and didn't imply anything of the sort but Hargthern instantly got the impression that he was referring to the hunt for Azrael.

"Captain…" the President said "could you be so kind as to gather all pilots and mechanics for a very special and _confidential_ briefing?"

"Right here?" the Captain asked.

"Yes, here and now. It is not to go on record but I will be informing you all of your new weapons' capabilities." The captain nodded, saluted and got to work in calling all the mechanics to gather around where the President was standing. The pilots were there − along with a few mechanics – already so the job didn't take too long.

"May I have your attention?" the President asked once everyone had gathered around him. "I'm sure you all have been wondering about the capabilities of these new weapons that have been assigned to your ship" he said. "I have been informed that the Mobile Armour in particular has even seen combat. Is that correct?"

"Yes Sir" Hargthern replied.

"Very well, I'll begin with that. Since you piloted it Commander, I'm sure you know but it is equipped with many features. Among others, it has both conventional and beam weapons. There are two missile batteries; two Igelstellung turrets capable of both offensive and defensive action; and finally, there is a two-barrelled high powered beam cannon, similar in it's usage to the Gottfrieds of this ship." The gathered crew nodded. "Although this is merely a prototype, a similar Mobile Armour is currently in mass-production. This Mobile Armour has been aptly codenamed the WINGsupport and its role is to support the Mobile Suits in battle and defend the entire fleet. One final note, this one here is the commander's unit and as such has a bonus feature. This one is known as the WINGcommander and has six detachable beam-cannons. These cannons can be used for added firepower and also – if the pilot so desires – can be detached and used with the infamous DRAGOON system that was put up against us by both ZAFT and ORB in the last war. Commander Hargthern, I hope you can make good use of this."

Hargthern saluted "Yes sir, I've already tested it out against those terrorist GINNs. I think the feature will come in _extremely_ useful."

"Impressive, Commander, I feel confident in putting you in charge of this machine. Now, as for the others… Ensign Gaular, please present to us the details of your machine, codenamed the ARTILLERYsupport." A short soldier with his yellow-green hair pulled back stepped forward and saluted.

"I am Ensign Lars Gaular, pilot of the ARTILLERYsupport GUNTANK – a design inspired by the ZuOOTs of the Zaft forces. My machine has the mobility and armour of a Tank. What it lacks in speed it makes up for in firepower. Of course it's purely a support weapon but in my honest opinion, it's one with devastating effectiveness."

"So, what you're saying is…" Rina joked "You're the guy who hangs in the rear but still manages to be so arrogant?" She laughed, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "Oh… sorry" she said as though just realising where she was. She stood up strait and saluted "Continue" she said.

"Thank you" Lars said darkly. As I was saying… this is a powerful Tank for defensive and covering purposes. It has interchangeable equipment to suit the situation. It can be modified to suit high speed combat or long-range combat… of course since it lacks mobility, the ideal place for it would be on the ship itself or positioned as a movable gun turret. The Caterpillar tracks can be replaced with a quadruped or tripod leg-frame and the arms can be replaced with Gatling guns or rail guns. Also, the shoulders can each be mounted either with a Gatling gun, a massive linear gun, a missile battery or positron cannon. These shoulder weapons are interchangeable with the CRUSTACEANsupport."

"Very good" the President commented "I suspect that the defensive artillery weapon will serve this ship well. Next, Ensign Wiedir."

A tall soldier with short dark blue coloured hair stepped forward, replacing Lars as the point of interest as the former boy returned to his place with the rest of the gathered crew. "I'm Matt Wiedir" the bluenette said. "I'm the pilot of the CRUSTACEANsupport unit."

"_That must be the machine that in a way resembled a crab"_ Hargthern guessed. _"Is he really the pilot? He seems so calm and quiet now. It's hard to think of him as the pilot that had been acting so psychotic just before in that simulation battle. He kind of reminds me of the old Extendeds"_ the Commander recollected. _"God I hope we are never forced to repeat that mistake."_ Hargthern had never been a supporter of the Extended programme but it had been in effect for so long and it showed results. It had proven to be the only effective way for them to fight Mobile Suit-to-Mobile Suit against Coordinator pilots.

"The CRUSTACEANsupport" Matt explained "is a long to medium-range support weapon but as an added feature, it has six reverse-jointed legs − allowing it to jump great distances – and two large claws that can be used for both melee combat and to capture or hold an enemy unit. In this light it could also be seen as a close-range weapon. On its back it has missile launchers capable of firing up to thirty-two missiles at once. On top of that, it also can equip the interchangeable equipment for the ARTILLERYsupport that has already been explained to you."

"As you can see" the President added "All these machines were developed together and intended to be used together like a team. Alone thy have weaknesses but together they make up a ferocious fighting force. All of the mobile weapons here are support types but there is one more yet to talk about… the STRIKERsupport. Ensign Hallerbi, please enlighten us."

"Sir!" Rina replied, stepping forward. "My machine – the STRIKERsupport – is a mid to close-range assault model designed to support the Assault Striker but also has enough firepower to take on the enemy alone if need be. Like the ARTILLERY and CRUSTACEAN, my machine has interchangeable equipment to allow for a variety of different combat options. The equipment change is done by mounting an equipment pack called a module and there are several to choose from." She looked to the President. "Do I have to explain about all the modules?"

"No" he replied "But you should find out which mechanic will be in charge of your machine and talk it out with him." Rina nodded and returned to her place within the crowd – standing to the left of Hargthern. The Commander faced her and made eye contact.

"Ensign Hallerbi?" Hargthern asked her.

"Yes?" she replied.

"I wonder, are you in any way related to an _Admiral_ Hallerbi?"

"Yeah, he's my father."

"Really?" the Commander said aloud.

"Well, he's my _adoptive_ father. I'm not sure _who_ my real parents were."

"I guess you are a little too old to blame that on the war."

"Yeah… I don't really think about it.

"Excuse me" the President said, putting an end to the private conversation. "There is still one more Mobile Suit to discuss." Several of the Mechanics looked around at hearing this news. Some of them had confused looks on their faces as though they had miscounted like a child reviewing math homework and getting a different answer each time.

"But… that's all of 'em" one of the mechanics said.

"No" the President replied. "You see there is still one more on its way here from Earth. This new innovative Mobile Suit is so advanced that it makes these" he gestured to the weapons in the hangers around them "look aged and inferior. The newest of our prototypes is the very reason why you are all here right now. Otherwise I'm sure you would be stationed at one of our orbital military bases."

"So what can you tell us about this new Mobile Suit?"

"The Assault Striker is a humanoid type weapon – like the STRIKERsupport. It is launched like a Mobile Armour, with a squadron of WINGsupport fighters carrying out the various parts that may be required."

"Parts?"

"Yes, there are many interchangeable chests, legs, thrusters and weapons."

"It all seems unnecessarily complicated."

"Yes, I though that too at first but our weapon designers regard it very highly indeed."

"I see… and who exactly are you going to get to pilot such a machine?" The President turned to see a soldier with long, strait blond hair approach from the direction of the ship's exit.

"Ah" he said "here he comes now."

The soldier walked up to them, saluting them all in general before he spoke. "Lieutenant Rey Za Burrel" he said, introducing himself. "I have news about the last prototype."

"_This kid has already attained the rank of Lieutenant?"_ Hargthern asked inwardly. _"He can't be any older than my younger brother was and yet…" _Admittingly, Hargthern was a Commander but for him the circumstances had been exceedingly different. For one thing, there had been a war going on and the many battles had caused innumerable chances for advancement – as well as an insatiable need for Commanders and fine leaders. The Earth Forces military was a strictly structured one. The chain of command was pre-set and without it, battles simply could not be won. All the low-ranking soldiers in the world would be completely useless without an officer to lead them.

"You may give your report" the President said.

"Thank you sir" Rey replied. "The carrier containing the last prototype is on its way. The Assault Striker and the WINGsupport fighters have been picked up and they are currently on a course that will bring them strait here. They will arrive after an estimated time of two hours."

"Thank you, Lieutenant" the President replied. He turned to Hargthern. "Commander?"

"Yes sir?" the officer in question replied.

"I have one more thing to tell you. When the Carrier arrives, you are to be transferred."

"Transferred?" Hargthern asked "But then… why assign me to the Leviathan in the first place?"

"Well, naturally we needed an experienced pilot to escort and since it was only a single ship, you were a natural choice."

"Well, I can understand that sir, but who did you think would attack us? Before this whole thing with… with that fugitive, we _had_ no known enemies."

"Exactly, we had no _known_ enemies. Just because an enemy is unknown, doesn't mean it is not there. Just because we don't know about or can't see something, that doesn't mean to say that thing does not exist."

"I know what you're saying but still…"

"The simple fact of the matter is that we _do_ perhaps have enemies that we were unaware of. We still haven't been able to identify the owners of those GINNs or the origins of that transmission that threatened to attack the moon. Just imagine what might have happened, had you not been here. What do you think would have happened of there were no spare pilots on board?"

"I guess it was lucky that I was here, then."

"Not luck" the President corrected him. This was merely protocol. On such journeys we have always had at least one pilot that could sortie to defend the new ship from any possible threat."

"So then where will I be transferred?"

"You will be transferred to the same place you would have been on the Leviathan."

"Then why…?"

"The two ships will be travelling together. The support Mobile Suits are on one, while the Mobile Armours are on the other. It only makes sense that the two ships would travel side by side. Each is but a part of one single force. Together, you all will make up what will from here on be known as the Thirteenth Fleet." Hargthern narrowed his eyes. He'd been through a lot over the years but this just didn't seem right.

"Sir, how can two ships possibly make up an entire fleet? I hope you don't mistake my concern for cowardice but what good will two ships fare? In a battle, a fleet consisting of only two or three ships simply will not survive."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" the president beamed.

"What do you mean?"

"In the past, before our time… many historical battles have been won with no more than one or two ships."

"You are referring to those civilians who took up arms against both sides and attacked everyone? While I agree with what you are saying, it is also true that they may only have survived because they had the power of the legendary Freedom. Without it, how could they have taken down so many opponents? For them, it was simply a case of meeting quantity with quality."

"There was also the SEED factor" Rina added. To this, the president smirked.

"Please don't tell me that you believe in that myth?" he scorned. "It was a fairy tale, nothing else. I thought that theory had died out long ago?"

"There are some whom still believe in it." Hargthern replied in the young pilot's defence. "Although unrealistic and controversial, you can't deny that the theory has survived for a long time through many generations."

"And yet it still remains a theory. Do you not wonder why? It is something that will never be proven no matter how hard you believe or how much faith you put into it." He paused in his rant. "On an unrelated note, Lieutenant Za Burrel will be serving directly under you. He will be piloting our most advanced prototype." He turned to the young blond officer. "Do you think you can handle it?" he asked seriously "It's quite an intricate system."

"I'll do my best sir" Rey assured him, saluting, he the turned his attention to Hargthern. "Commander Hargthern, You have quite the reputation. You are veteran hero from the last war."

"So I've been told" Hargthern replied nonchalantly.

"It will be an honour to serve under you."

"I'm glad to hear it" the President said. "This ends the briefing, you are all dismissed" he said before leaving. The pilots and mechanics went back to the machines they had been assigned. Hargthern was about to follow suit when he was stopped by the captain.

"Can I speak with you?" he asked.

"Sure" Hargthern replied. They walked into a private room where they could be alone. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well… actually, this is a little awkward" the Captain replied. "I know we have had our differences in the past and things may have gotten a little unpleasant between us… and I just want to apologise for everything that's happened. With you being transferred, I may not get another chance to say this se… I don't want things to get worse."

"I feel the same."

"Good, well… despite everything, you are a good pilot and I know that you will make a great captain when the opportunity arises. I know you'll do your best to protect us against whatever the future may hold."

"Thank you Captain… and rest assured. It doesn't matter whether it's one man or an armada of a thousand. I _will_ protect this ship as well as any others we are assigned."

"I know you will" the Captain held out his arm and Hargthern took it, shaking the man's firm hand. Both men briefly nodded and saluted before turning from each other and both going their separate ways.

* * *

**In case you're wondering, the tank was loosely inspired by the gun tank from the beginning of UC but the similarity ends there. I've never seen any of the Gundams excluding Seed and Seed Destiny. Since I can't get the DVDs, my only option would be myspace and youtube but since I'm on dial-up, I really don't have the patience to stream all the episodes of each UC series**


	13. First Impression

**Rock Bottom**

**Seeds Sown under the Earth's Crust**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own **Gundam Seed**

**Author's Notes:** First, let me thank everyone who has reviewed, especially **Thawn716** who has been reviewing every chapter. I greatly appreciate it. Secondly, I have a request, or rather an offer. I'm unsure of how to go about writing this. One way is to have one chapter for the angst/romance side of the story, then one chapter for the war and alternate, so it would go in a loop of _Kira;Hargthern;Kira;Azrael._ The other option is to go the more simple route, in mixing them up in each chapter, in a broader and more unkept fashion.

Also, Does anyone know the reason why I can't seem to divide my drafts into sections using asterisks anymore? I know it couldn't be done originally, but then they were usable, and now aparantly they're not. Anyone know why? It's kind of annoying.

**Phase 13 – First Impression**

Panting, gasping, out of breath, the girl allowed her mouth to hang open as she clutched at her chest. She struggled to gain control of her breathing and slow her wildly beating heart.

She could feel it pounding painfully, thrashing and battering at the interior of the infernal cavity of her torso.

She literally felt as though her insides were on fire.

_Why… why did I tell them… why didn't I just let them drop me off right outside the entrance? _She internally cursed herself for her vain stupidity.

She had wanted to make a good impression. She figured she could waltz in just as the school-bell began to ring, then head for her first class. She already had her timetable. She held onto it tightly as though it were her last remaining lifeline. The last thing she wanted was to lose it.

Her footsteps pounded obnoxiously against the hard concrete pavement below her as she ran like a freight train heading straight ahead at full steam – except in _her_ case, her steam was nearly entirely exhausted.

She glanced quickly at the watch she had been given to check the time.

She was already late. First period had begun ten minutes ago.

Funnily enough, the watch had only been given to her so that she could be on time – and now she was technically already late. How ironic.

_Wait – _she thought – _That's not irony, that's just a horrible coincidence._ There had been a lot of those lately, terrible coincidences. One such example was the fact that Shani had been beginning to open up to her and Stella and then all this happened. Now he seemed to be as big a recluse as ever and as for the pinkette's idolized blonde, the close friend she looked up to and respected oh-so much, she was nowhere to be found.

Lacus felt her periwinkle eyes widen. She caught herself before she was able to drift off into her own little world of reminiscence again. She was late. She needed to push her body further and run faster than she ever had before.

Her much sought after 'good first impression' had already shattered under her very feet. She had missed it completely, letting it slip through her butterfingers like an awfully untalented baseball player who surely had no business being an athlete.

_The car pulled up to the side of the road and stopped. After a few minutes of movement from within, the door opened._

"_Lacus, are you sure you don't want me to drive the rest of the way?" her father asked her._

"_No, this is fine," the girl answered." It will do me good to walk some of the way. I also should get to know the area a bit as well."_

"_Very well," the man inside replied. "I'll see you when you get back. Will you be okay walking home this afternoon?"_

"_Yes, I'll be fine," Lacus confirmed._

"_Very well, I'll see you at the church later on then." The girl nodded and withdrew her bag from the vehicle and closed the door before heading on her way toward the high school._

"Great thinking," the girl said in a quiet tone filled to the brim with self cynicism.

Because of her independence she was now going to be late. Why did she have to be so darn stubborn?

She let out a sigh.

This wasn't helping. Her mind was just going around in circles. She had to just stop thinking and turn that part of her brain off. What she should have been focusing on was getting to her classroom on time – or before any more time was able to elude her.

She checked her timetable and headed for her classroom which just so happed to be up a flight of stairs.

She hated stairs.

Why did they have to have multi-story schools anyway? Couldn't they just spread it all out around the school grounds? It wasn't as though they were short of room. The place was huge, unlike her old school. All the schools in Eurasia were single multi-story buildings. This new school was nothing like that. Why did everything have to be built so far apart?

Eventually, she found herself in the classroom and checked her timetable once more to make sure she had it right.

She also checked what subject she had. Once the acronym registered she was forced to sigh once again.

_I hate math…_

She knocked on the closed door and waited for it to open.

After a minute or two, a tall man with a long purple ponytail opened the door for her. He looked down on her and scratched his chin.

"May I help you?" he casually drawled. She didn't know why but Lacus could distinctly picture this man wearing maroon velvet robe and smoking a pipe.

"A-ah, yes. I'm in this class."

"Is that so?" the teacher said, looking quite perplexed as though he didn't quite understand. "Because it looks to me as though you're standing out in the hall."

"Oh, yeah… well, it's my first day."

"I gathered as much. The fact that I've never seen you before was an explosively subtle hint, I must admit." He stood aside for her and led her to his desk. "So you're Lacus Clyne, I take it."

"Yes."

"You _are_ aware that first period begins at eight, I assume."

"Um, yeah. I'm sorry I'm late. I… I got lost."

"And how does that excuse your tardiness?"

"I… I said I was sorry."

"Fifteen minutes, Miss Clyne."

"Ex- excuse me?" she asked, desperately trying to regain control of her breath, preying to the amnesiac deity that nobody would draw attention to her panting breaths.

"You are fifteen minutes late. That would normally constitute a lunch-period detention but seeing as you're new, I'll let you off with a warning just this once."

"Thank you" Lacus replied, turning to find a seat. Judging from the way everyone was sitting close to the front, there appeared to be some kind of seating plan in effect.

"I don't suppose you have plans for lunch-period?"

"No, however… I wouldn't want to spend it in detention, especially not on my first day."

"That's not what I mean," the teacher replied with a grin, shuffling papers on his desk. "Look for a grey sedan parked adjacent to the dead tree at the rear of the track field."

"Um, excuse me?"

"I'll be in there. I'll be waiting for you."

"Why?"

"I know things about you, Lacus. I know things that you wouldn't want other people to know. I can make you very comfortable… or I can make your life here a living hell. All I want is some company. Like I said, I'll be expecting you. Lacus narrowed her eyes distastefully. Just what kind of impression was she giving off?

"I don't know what you think you know about me but there's clearly been some kind of mistake." She spoke indignantly, her pleasant mask slipping, just like it had with Cagalli the day before. "I've been told that the place I came from is known to the rest of the world as a filthy cesspool and that things would be better in here in Atlantic Federation territory… I guess I was lied to, if degenerate filth like _you_ is the prime example of the people here." The teacher angrily narrowed his eyes.

"Why don't you just take your seat, you filthy whore."

"Why is it that whenever a woman refuses to be used as a sex-object she is labeled as a whore?" the girl hissed. "That kind of discriminating thinking defies logic."

"You're a whore no matter what. You think we'd give you a choice in the matter?"

"I guess that makes sense… after all, men like you smell like pigs no matter how much cologne you bathe in."

"I said take your seat" the teacher ordered in a dangerous tone.

"I'd love to; however, you haven't assigned me one."

"Sit in Yamato's seat for now, just get the hell out of my face before I am forced to tell your father about your acting up on your first day" He dangerously wheezed.

"Yamato?"

"fourth row, far left. Sit, go. The next time you speak in my classroom, you'll find yourself in a personal, private detention with me."

Without a word, Lacus turned and headed toward her seat. As she passed, she noticed a red-haired girl eyeing her suspiciously.

_What's her problem?_ The pinkette mused bitterly.

Her first impression of the Atlantic Federation was now branded into the interior of her skull.

_I hate this place._

_

* * *

_

_Damn her_ – the blonde thought indignantly. _How the hell could she say that? Yasura burned down because there were Coordinators there? Maybe, but it wasn't their fault. It was all because of people like _her.

Cagalli turned to face the brunette sitting beside her.

"Cagalli, what is it?" he asked her.

"Uh, nothing" she replied.

"Really?" the brunette asked her with a skeptical eye.

"Yeah."

"Well, it sure doesn't look like it."

"I'm fine, just drop it, okay Ahmed!"

"Miss Yula!" their teacher called out, approaching the two teens. "In my class, we don't call out across the room. We don't shout and we don't talk. We listen and we work. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Miss Badgiruel" _Cagalli conceded._

_"__Consider this a warning. Don't let it happen again," the teacher chastised, walking back to her position at the head of the class._

___She was a slim, tall, strict woman with short black hair and stern amethyst coloured eyes with which she watched over the class like a hawk._

_"__God, what a hard-ass" the blonde uttered under her breath._

_"__You can act strong all you want but I know what's bothering you," Ahmed told her._

_"__Oh, and what would you know about anything?" Cagalli curtly questioned._

_"__I know your mother threw you out."_

_"__She's not my mother, Ahmed," the girl reminded him with exasperation draining the enthusiasm from her voice."_

"Okay, stepmother, whatever," Ahmed replied impatiently. "You're avoiding the point___."_

_"__What do you think of the new guys?" Cagalli asked._

_"__You're doing it again."_

_"__Shut up. Just answer the question."_

_"__I dunno," Ahmed replied with a sigh. "Clotho and um, Orga, I think the other one is."_

_"__Yeah, I know their names. What I want to know is, uh, well…"_

_"__I know. They seem kind of odd but remember that they're from Eurasia. They might all be like that."_

_"__Yeah, all the people I've met from there are pretty strange, I must admit. I think their sanity might need to be called into question."_

_"__Uh, right; so did you ever meet up with that guy again?" he asked, but Cagalli wasn't listening. She was busy thinking._

* * *

_The blonde girl walked angrily toward the only place she could think of. The residence of her closest friend, Ahmed._

_He was her best friend for a reason. He'd even been there that evening when Kira neglected to meet them. They'd been in the same class for so long, every year._

_

* * *

_

_"Oh my, what happened to you?" the woman – Ahmed's mother – asked, referring to the state of the blonde's face. It was still bright red from its rather physical date with Alga's slap-happy hand."_

_"It's nothing," Cagalli answered angrily. "Alga and I just had an argument, that's all."_

_"Alga?"_

_"Cagalli's stepmother," Ahmed explained._

_"Your stepmother… she hit you?"_

_"You don't need to make a fuss. She does it all the time, when she can't win a fight with words."_

_"How immature," the older woman stated._

_"Yeah, she always resorts to violence when she can't get her own way," Ahmed said, his face telling all that he seemed to find something exceedingly funny."Say, don't we know someone like that? That reminds you of someone, right guys?" he asked._

_From the room behind him, a couple of young brunettes appeared, walking hand in hand. One aqua eyed with short hair that curled upward where her head met neck, the other's hair a mess of thick curls. Both wore grins of amusement – Miriallia and Tolle._

* * *

After the bell rang to signify the end of class, the hands of students could be seen only in semi-opacity and as blurs of motion as they hurried to throw their belongings safely into their respective bags with all the tenderness and care of a cordless bungee jump.

Lacus watched them all move with such velocity and wondered how much practice they must have. It was difficult to believe that all these people were naturals, given the speed and reflexes that they each possessed.

The pink haired girl followed suit, albeit allowing her hands the slothful liberty of traveling at their own pace.

Once finished, she followed the rest of the class outside, her face set in a troubled expression. As she walked at her own leisurely pace, people pushed and shoved past her in a hurry to get to wherever they wanted to go.

She couldn't help but wonder why all of these people happened to be in such a rush. _Well, to be honest…_ not all of them were. Some of them seemed to be about as laid back as she was, if not more so.

The girl pulled out her timetable to check on her next class, and grimaced at the sight.

_Chemistry, great,_ she mused. This day was going from bad to worse. Why did she have to have two of her least favorite subjects, one after the other?

Then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. After all, that previous class was easy enough. This school seemed to be quite far behind in the curricular. She didn't know why, and it certainly wasn't a good thing, but Lacus couldn't help but feel at least partially relieved. Moving and changing schools was stressful enough at the best of times, without the added anguish of having lost just about everything one held dear.

"Um, excuse me?" a voice called out.

_What is it, _the girl couldn't help but wonder. _Don't they know I'm new here? What could _I _possibly tell them?_

Lacus turned around and saw a boy with medium-length blue hair approach her.

"Ah… hi," he said.

"Hi," Lacus awkwardly replied. "What is it?"

"Well, I just wanted to introduce myself. I'm Athrun, Athrun Zala."

"Oh, I'm Lacus."

"I saw you at the memorial."

"Did you?"

"Yeah. It's nice to see that everyone got a place to rest peacefully."

"Yeah, I suppose it is… assuming they can actually rest, given what happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… never mind. I have to go," the girl resigned, turning to leave.

"Wait!" the bluenette called out.

"What is it?" Lacus asked him, stopping and looking over her shoulder.

"I was just wondering. Are you… were you from Yasura?"

"Yeah."

"So, did you..."

"Did I what!?" the girl snarled.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to offend you. I was just curious to see... I was just wondering, no, hoping that everyone you knew managed to get out safely. Burning alive is a fate no one deserves.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Yeah, my father and I managed to get out but my mother..."

"I see. I'm sorry for your loss, especially since I know how it feels." The girl widened her eyes.

"You see, I also lost my mother in the fire, as well as my best friend, Nicol."

"So did I," Lacus tried to say, but all that escaped was a whimper.

"What was that?"

"I also lost my best friend. I mean, it's not official, but nobody knows where she is. No one's seen her since the fire. The last thing we did together was plan a study party. I just wish I knew whether or not she was alive and okay."

"If it's consolation, she's probably dead."

"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel _much_ better," lacus replied bitterly.

"I figured as much. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault" Lacus replied.

"I know, but still, I should have kept quiet. It was a bad choice of words, and for that, I apologise."

"Yet you felt compelled to say it… look. I _really need to get going,"_ the pinkette replied.

"What's the rush?" Athrun asked her.

"I've already been late once today."

"Really, we've only had one class so far."

"That's my point" the girl lamented.

"What happened, did you sleep in?"

"No!" the girl snapped, looking down in embarrassment, seemingly content to stare at her shoes despite what she'd said about the need to hurry. "I… I got lost." Athrun couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Well, I suppose that's your right as a Eurasian citizen," he joked, stopping when Lacus narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

"I've been through enough today without you laughing at me."

"You're right, I'm sorry. So where are you heading, anyway?"

"Science block," she replied, pulling out her timetable once again. "Room G3"

"I see," Athrun pondered. "That's a strange coincidence, since that's where I'm going."

"You mean we share a class?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it," the bluenette teased. "That being the case, should we walk together?"

"I don't see why not," Lacus replied. He quickly fell into place beside her and they began walking in silence for a while, until someone called out to them."

"Athrun, over here!" a voice said. The bluenette looked over and waved.

"Those are my friends. Do you mind," he asked the pink haired girl beside him.

"Go ahead," she said, waving him off.

Athrun flashed her one last sheepish grin and hurried off towards his friends. She shook her head slowly and walked in the direction of her class.

* * *

After visiting chemistry and a full school assembly, Lacus was faced with an interval period. She walked the school grounds alone, unsure of what to do with herself.

That was until she ran into an unsuspecting Cagalli. The blonde didn't even notice her. Both she and a brown haired youth were engrossed by the scene playing out before them. Something that appeared to be a large brawl had broken out.

Lacus didn't know all of the people involved in the fight, but she did notice Athrun… and _Shani_.

After further inspection of the scene, it appeared that the group was all ganging up on Shani. It wasn't so much of a fight as it was a public beating. She looked over the people involved and her thoughts froze.

_I know those people,_ she realized. She gasped when she recognized them. Sting, Auel, and those other two that had wanted to speak with Shani on the day of the fire. She wasn't sure of the others. She had no idea what was going on. Why was Athrun fighting Shani?

"This… is pointless," Shani spat hatefully.

"Shut up," Auel taunted. "Why don't you show me what you've got, huh?"

"Hurry up and fight us, Shani," Sting added.

"If you mean to beat me then just do it," Shani retorted. "Why should I give you the satisfaction of a proper fight? Tell all these people that there's no show to see."

"What more can you expect, these Yasurian Coordinator-lovers are all pussies at heart," a boy with short blond hair remarked, receiving an approving smirk from the red haired girl standing proudly beside him, her entire body seemingly wrapped tightly around his arm.

"That girl," Lacus breathed. That was the one from earlier, the one who eyed her suspiciously when she arrived in that accursed math class.

"She a new friend of yours," Cagalli asked. Lacus shook her head.

"No, the one with green hair is."

"You mean the one getting his ass beaten?"

"Yeah… I think."

"What do you mean you _think_?"

"I'm not exactly sure."

"Don't give me that," Cagalli asked, angrily raising her voice. "How the hell can you not be sure!?"

"Well, I'd like to consider him a friend but I'm not sure how he…" she trailed off, unable to speak any more. At that moment, Lacus made eye contact with Auel. She locked onto his lifeless, hollow eyes. "What the…?" She asked. What was different about him? Something was inferably wrong.

"Lacus-Chan," he cooed with a sadistic smirk, approaching her.

"Wha… you've never called me that before," she commented. One quick look into his eyes was enough to set the alarm bells off in her head. She tried to back away but wasn't fast enough. Auel was able to close in on her and spin her around with ease, as though she were putting up less resistance than a ragdoll.

He was easily able to twist the pinkette's arm painfully up her back. He moved so fast. He was so forceful, so dangerous, and so scary. He was inhuman.

"Ahn," the girl whimpered from the sharp pain mercilessly crawling up her right arm. "How did you get… so strong?" she quietly asked.

"That's for me to know, Lacus-Chan."

"Please… stop calling me that."

"Why, what's wrong, Lacus-Chan?" the boy asked tauntingly.

"Will you fight us now, Shani?" Sting threatened the greenette. "Don't make your friends suffer because of your own stubbornness." When Shani looked over to Lacus, it was a dark look that scared her to her core. His gaze was every bit as hollow as Auel's had been, if not more so.

"She's not a friend," he stated coldly. Do what you will with her, why should I care?" Lacus froze in horror, unable to take in any more. Her mind was overloaded.

"That's very cold of you," Sting replied. He looked over to Auel, giving him a gesture.

The boy with the light blue hair applied pressure and tightened his grip on Lacus, causing her arm to sear once more in pain.

"Now do you see what happens," Sting began, positioning himself in a fighting stance and launching his fist into a powerful jab, right into Shani's abdomen. "…when you don't cooperate?" The greenette winced from the force of the physical blow. He looked over to Lacus once again and sighed.

"Attacking in a group… involving the ignorant… and you call _me_ pathetic. Your vanity is surpassed only by hypocrisy."

"What was that," Auel asked, "what are you trying to say?"

"I didn't want any of this, but screw it," Shani hissed. "Don't say I didn't _fucking _warn you when these bastards chew you up and spit you out!" From seemingly nowhere, the victimized greenette pushed Sting out of his face with a potent uppercut.

"Auel," he responded just as soon as he touched the ground.

Understanding perfectly, Auel pushed Lacus aside and charged strait at his target. He reached striking range but was pushed back by a long leg.

Shani sent a roundhouse kick to the younger boy, and then spun around, throwing a second attack at Sting while continuing the momentum. Before anyone could react, he sent his knee crashing into Sting's skull, knocking him unconscious, before turning his attention once more to Auel.

Two more punch combos and a few kicks later, both of his opponents were down. The crowd that had gathered to watch the fight could only stand by and look on in awe.

"Where… where did he learn to fight like that," Lacus asked herself absentmindedly, unaware that she had expressed the question out loud.

Meanwhile, one of the members of the group, a tall boy with blonde hair, snapped shut the paperback book he'd held before his eyes. His expression turned sour as he glared hatefully at Shani, who merely returned the gaze with an air of indifference.

"You know what to do, guys," the blond announced calmly. "Take this asshole down."

As the fight wore on, Lacus wished she could turn away, but she found herself unable to move a single muscle. The horrific sight was too much for her.

Needless to say, the brutal pummeling that the greenette was forced to endure was not a pretty sight. While Sting and Auel hadn't stood a chance against him, Shani couldn't hope to fight off such a large group all at once, no matter how strong he may have been.

Funnily enough, in a bitter sort of way, it wasn't until after he'd been beaten to the verge of unconsciousness that a teacher decided to come over and break it up, as well as escort all students on the scene over to a classroom for detention.

While the group thinned out, Lacus approached one of the bodies that lay on the ground. She offered her hand, to help the body up.

A beaten and surely bruised Shani looked up at her and refused her help, opting to instead stand by himself.

"It would have been better off if I'd simply taken the minor beating from those two" he mumbled, looking up to meet Lacus' eye. "You were just in the way, so I had no choice but to fight them."

"I… I'm sorry," Lacus apologized wholeheartedly. She hated being the one to cause another's suffering.

"Don't concern yourself," Shani told her dismissively. "It wasn't your fault. Those bastards were the ones to drag you into this. I'm sorry you had to see it."

"No, don't worry about me. I'm just sorry you got hurt." Shani managed to sneer at her apology, but it wasn't one of scorn. It was merely an expression of amusement.

"I would've gotten hurt anyway."

"Who are those guys, and why are Sting and Auel with them?"

"Because their worthless, misguided, malleable fools," Shani replied, spitting venom. "They're nothing but _puppets_… like I once was."

"Do you think Stella could be with them too?"

"I doubt it."

"I see… how do you know those guys, anyway?"

"It's a long story… you'd better go before that teacher comes back and yells at you."

"Oh, yeah," Lacus agreed, looking over to see the nearby teacher escorting the students to the detention room. "I guess we'd better follow them. We don't want to get into any _more_ trouble, do we?" She looked back, only to see that Shani had completely disappeared. _That's strange,_ she mused, _where did he go?_

_

* * *

Full of regret, Lacus closed her eyes as she looked back on the past events of the day. Why did it have to be so eventful?_

_At least it can't be considered boring,_ she thought bitterly. _If only Stella were here… I know she'd get a laugh out of it. _"Stella," she said, whispering the blonde's name for all with the most sensitive ears to hear. _Where are you? You can't be dead._

It just wasn't fathomable. It wasn't possible. How could a girl so lively and energetic become so still and lifeless? How could she have died? There was no way. If Lacus had managed to escape Hell's blaze, then surely Stella would have as well. She had always been so competitive after all.

She looked around the room. _Where is Shani? How is he able to so effortlessly make himself disappear?_ It was funny. Shani was actually involved in the fight and he wasn't even here, whereas Lacus was sharing the blame with the others.

First, she convinced her father to drop her off a few blocks away from the school so she could get some fresh air and prepare herself before entering the School grounds. That had been her first mistake.

After that, she'd made the second mistake of angering her teacher by showing up to class fifteen minutes late. She'd been sexually harassed and then angered him further by rejecting his advances.

After meeting with Athrun, she saw him again, in her reunion with the people she thought were her friends in Yasura, as they mercilessly pummeled the life out of Shani, even involving Lacus herself, only to provoke him.

_And now I'm here, serving detention with all these delinquents._ To make matters worse, she _knew _most of them. It truly made her question why she had once hung around with these people. Did she truly know nothing of her supposed friends?

"Uh, Athrun?" the pinkette asked the blue haired person sitting beside her.

"Huh, what is it, Lacus?"

"Well, I was wondering. Why were you with all those people?"

"Well, they're my friends."

"I see," the pinkette admitted, "that's what I thought."

"Why, what is it?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering. That's all."

"I see… wondering about what?"

"Well, I don't know you at all, we've only just met today in fact, but you don't seem like the kind of person who would want to fight someone for no reason at all."

"Well, I guess you're right. Why?"

"So then why were you fighting Shani?"

"Shani?"

"You don't even know the name of the person you were beating to a pulp?"

"Oh, right, him. I don't actually know. There seems to be some bad blood between him and my friends."

"If it doesn't concern you, then why get involved?"

"If it concerns my friends, then it concerns me. You have to back up your friends, no matter what it is you're involved in. I mean you wouldn't just turn your back on your family, would you?" Lacus' eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"M-m-mother…" she whimpered, her voice higher in pitch than she would have liked.

"What is it?"

Lacus snapped her eyes shut and shook her head violently, sending her hair in all directions, forcing all thoughts of her mother from her mind, and cramming her face back into that ingenious mask she had crafted for herself.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Are you sure," Athrun asked, concerned. "Mental breakdowns like that have to be some kind of warning or something. Maybe you should see the school councilor."

"Look, I'm fine. Just drop it, okay," Lacus hissed. This conversation was heading in a dangerous direction. How was she supposed to act like everything was fine when people kept reminding her of what had happened, of what had been done, of what she had done?

"Hey, I'm just trying to be helpful," Athrun stated, aggressively defensive. "There's no need to be so elusive.

"It's better to keep to oneself than act as a mindless brawler, overwhelming and beating someone you don't even know."

"Hey, my friends needed my help."

"Yeah, it sure looked like it from where I was standing."

"You're just angry because you got involved. I'm sorry-"

"I'm angry because you helped those bastards gang up on my friend," the girl hissed furiously, cussing for the first time in her life.

"I'd lay off him if I were you," Cagalli warned. "Who knows, you might end up as big a target as Kira."

"Who's Kira," Athrun asked.

"He's a Coordinator, he used to be the only one around before all you refugees showed up, now there's no telling who is one and who isn't. It's not like they want to advertise it or anything."

"I'm a coordinator," Athrun admitted. Lacus and Cagalli both widened their eyes in surprise at him. "Is that really so shocking," he asked them incredulously. "You must have known that there were bound to be some of us around. We can't have all died in the fire, and personally, I've never seen a reason to hide what I am. It's not something to be ashamed of. It's not something to be hidden like a bad report card."

"I agree with what you're saying," Lacus uttered, her voice by far the quietest of the three, "but this world is in a frail state right now, especially this city that has just taken in Coordinator refugees. Letting people know who you are may well label you as an outcast, like this Kira person Cagalli speaks of."

"Where is this person, I might like to talk with him."

Hey, I'd love to introduce you," Cagalli offered, "but I have no idea where he is. He just up and disappeared a week ago. We were supposed to meet one evening, but he never showed."

"He probably just doesn't like you," Lacus stated absentmindedly.

"Whatever, I'm the only friend he has. How could he _not_ like me?"

"That's a very vain statement, Cagalli. Have you considered the fact that just maybe he doesn't consider you a friend? Maybe he doesn't have any friends, or maybe he prefers to be alone."

"Nonsense, who in their right mind would prefer loneliness?"

"Someone who knows only cruelty."

"You've thought a lot about this."

"Not really."

"Just don't go near him, okay? Don't even talk to him. Just avoid him."

"Like the way he is, you?"

"Shut up, I just don't want racist people like you poisoning his mind."

"Racist," Athrun asked, bewildered, looking Lacus in the eye. "You?"

"No, I'm not," she pleaded, her eyes longing to be believed.

"Yeah," Cagalli continued. "This girl would make a better friend for all those guys than you would, Athrun. You should stay away from her."

"What do you mean," Athrun asked her.

"Sai and his friends are the ones who were always picking on Kira. You should go introduce yourself, Lacus. I'm sure you'd fit right on in with them. You'd be a perfect addition to their gang."

"Oh for God's sake," the pinkette said, losing her patience for the infuriating blonde once again, "I am not Anti-Coordinator!"

"You three in the back, detention is not a place to talk! I don't think you understand how punishments work and as such, need more practice. Therefore, you will serve an afterschool detention today at three PM." The three students sighed at the unfair treatment.

"Sorry, Miss Badgeruel," Cagalli apologized for the second time that day.

"What a day," Lacus muttered. "This has to be the worst first day in history."

"Aw, I'm sure you say that about all your first days," Athrun joked.

* * *

Athrun swung the backpack over his shoulder and headed out on his way. He, Cagalli and Lacus had gotten together at the end of the school day in order to serve their second detention, since they'd been caught talking during their first one. In all honesty, it wasn't exactly fair, but it didn't matter. At least it gave them all something to do in the afternoon.

Athrun couldn't speak for the others, but personally, he didn't actually mind. Anything was better than spending the afternoon alone in that empty house, where the deafening silence could only remind him of the tragedy.

It was truly a shame that Lacus and Cagalli couldn't get along. Otherwise, the three of them could have established themselves as a group of friends. The way things were heading, he would likely be forced to choose which one to befriend, and he honestly didn't know which he preferred.

He didn't know either of them particularly well. On one hand, Lacus was a fellow refugee and she looked like she could use all the friends she could get. On the other hand, his brief experiences with the girl had told him that Cagalli was more of a low-maintenance kind of girl, she seemed so much be easier to be around. At least when she lashed out at him, it was because he'd said something to upset her.

When Lacus did it, he wasn't quite _sure_ of the reason.

_What about that Shani guy… I wonder if Lacus really does know him. If I was involved in beating up one of her old friends, then she may not even want to talk to me anymore._

Was it even worth it? What had that guy done, anyway? Was he really deserving of such a massive public beating? Exactly what was the bad blood between he and the others? Sure, he didn't seem like the most charming or sociable guy, but he must have done _something_ to warrant a beating like that.

The more Athrun thought about it, the more he found himself feeling sorry for the poor guy. He gave a sigh.

"I suppose it's too late to do anything about it now," he figured.

* * *

Step after slow step, Lacus steadily made her way home, like the tortoise that won the race against the hare. She gave a weary sigh at her first day, and some first day it was. Arriving late, being sexually harassed – by her teacher no less, getting involved – against her will – in a fight, and getting detention, _twice_. Some first day it was indeed.

Once having reached the place she now called home, there was little more to do than turn the doorknob and cross over the threshold.

She did so, hoping desperately that the reverend and her father would be out somewhere, lest they know exactly what time she got back.

"Lacus, there you are."

_Of course, the control freak upstairs never listens to anyone's prayers, why should this instance be any different?_

"Lacus, where have you been all this time?" It was a valid question. School ended at three PM. It was currently four thirty.

The pink haired girl took to staring at the floor, allowing its prudent blandness to hold her captivation in its pure, extravagant simplicity.

"Lacus, where have you been," her father asked once more.

"Detention…" the girl squeaked.

"I see," her father replied. He didn't raise his voice, but Lacus could hear the disappointment staining his words, and that crushed her more than physical contact or anger ever would. "I would have hoped you'd made a new friend or two. I was beginning to think that maybe you'd gone home with someone without telling me. That would have been a bad thing to do, but in lieu of the present circumstances, I think I could have forgiven it." Lacus' eyes widened, and then closed in melancholic fashion. Her father had just told her that he wouldn't be forgiving her.

"I'm sorry," she choked.

"So why were you in detention after school anyway? What is it that you did?"

"I… was talking with someone during the lunch break."

"How is that an offence?"

"It is… in the detention room."

"I see this is going in a strange direction," the reverend stated, unable to keep the amusement from showing on his features."

"Would you mind leaving us?" Siegel asked.

"Of course," the reverend replied.

"Lacus," the blond man continued after the reverend had departed. "Why were you in detention in the first place? You weren't late were you?"

"Well, actually, yes but that wasn't the reason," the girl answered hurriedly.

"Oh? Then why?"

"I was… involved in a fight."

"You… in a fight?

"Yes."

"That… does not sound like you. Is there anything you wish to tell me?"

"I was only there because I saw a friend of mine from Yasura being beaten by a large group of people… people who I later found out had large anti-coordinator dispositions."

"I see, and you were sticking up for this friend of yours?"

"I wasn't able to do anything, really." Lacus closed her eyes in self-loathing. "I just made it worse," she added, her voice coming out as not but a raspy whisper.

"So your intent was noble?"

_I wouldn't say that exactly, I was just curious, _the girl mused, but she nodded her head silently.

"Then I can forgive you. You should be proud of yourself. Many people would have just walked away and turned their back on a friend in need. You didn't take the coward's route. You took the harder road… and I am proud of you for it." Lacus' eyes snapped open and she looked at her father in disbelief.

"R-really?" Siegel nodded.

Lacus closed her eyes once again and threw her arms around her father, unable to help the grin creep up the sides of her face. He was proud of her…

He… was proud.

* * *

"God, what the hell is her problem, anyway? Whose side is she on? She's such a closet racist. Humph, she's so far in the closet she's gone through the wall on the other side."

Cagalli walked through the streets, loudly complaining about certain pink haired Coordinator haters as she went, while the brunettes on either side of her attempted to block her out.

"You know, Cagalli, Lacus really isn't as bad as you make her out to be."

"Oh, and how would you know that?"

"Ahem, we _were _her friends," Tolle reminded the blonde.

"Give her a chance, Cagalli," Miriallia pleaded. "The two of you just met on bad terms, that's all. She's going through a lot right now. It's affecting her in the worst way."

"You mean she's mental?"

"No… not exactly… you're anger is just blinding you to her true character, that's why you hate her so much."

"I think your old friendship is blinding you. You can't see her for what she really is. What's worse, you're actually _defending_ her."

"But, I'm serious. Just give her a chance."

"Why?"

"What," Miriallia asked, not understanding the question.

"Why should I give her a chance, why does she deserve it?"

"Just drop it Milly," Tolle advised.

They arrived at the house of Cagalli's stepmother and stood before the ominous behemoth.

"So, are we going in," Miriallia asked.

"Ah, yeah," Cagalli replied, her voice seeming very quiet for once, as though the confidence were draining from her like the blood from her face as she grew visibly paler before the malevolent beast.

"Well, let's get this over with," Tolle said, loudly knocking on the door with his knuckles.

"No wait," Cagalli objected, to the surprise of both brunettes.

"What is it," Miriallia asked in concern, "what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Cagalli responded with a slight blush permeating her cheeks.

When no one came to answer the door, Tolle checked it, to find it was locked.

"Here, I've got a key," Cagalli offered, producing it and jamming it in the door.

They entered the house to find it empty, much to Cagalli's relief. She was seriously dreading running into her stepmother again, what would she say? What would her _stepmother_ say to her?

She didn't know any more than she cared to find out, which wasn't a lot.

Another run in with that woman was seriously the last thing Cagalli wanted.

"We should head up to my room," the blonde said, "I want to get my clothes." The two brunettes agreed and they ascended the stairway at the end of the hall.

* * *

The bluenette gave a weary sigh as he crossed the threshold of his new home. His father had been fortunate enough to own a property in the city, prior to the tragedy. More fortunate, was the fact that the house therein was currently between tenants, meaning the two surviving Zalas were able to live in the city without being so much of a burden.

The Zalas were probably the only Yasurians who didn't technically fit the bill of refugee.

Even so, Athrun couldn't help but miss the life he had in his old home. He'd lost his Mother. He'd lost his best friend. He'd lost his home. He'd lost a caring parent to see him in the house after school. His father was now a widower who worked during the day and wouldn't be back until late at night. Athrun knew that he had no right to complain but even so, the house was so empty, so quiet, so dead. It was so depressing.

Athrun quietly closed the door behind him, a force of habit his parents had drilled into him from a young age. He guessed that now, there was no need to be so careful. He could slam the door and play loud music on the stereo and no one would care. Nobody was currently left in the house to reprimand him.

Athrun shook the thought train from his mind and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. His father would undoubtedly be hungry when he arrived home. The boy set to work, unaware that he had unknowingly taken to filling the roles of both mother and son. Athrun was Patrick Zala's son, but since their arrival at Yasura, he had taken on many duties of the wife.

* * *

The blonde set down her bag of clothes next to the couch and took a well-earned seat.

"Are you sure you want to do this," Miriallia asked the blonde, evident concern for her friend showing through in her voice.

"Of course I do. I'm here, aren't I?"

"But you can't just leave your home."

"Why not? I prefer it here anyway," Cagalli argued.

"But you don't live here."

"I stayed here last night and there was no problem. What's the big deal?"

"That was just one night. I'm sure your mother is getting worried about you by now. Shouldn't you return?"

"Of course not! That woman is _not_ my mother. Besides, I'm welcome to stay here whenever I want to, right Ahmed?"

"Well," the summoned brunette replied thoughtfully, "it's not as though we don't have room, so I can't see it being a problem."

"Then it's settled. Four friends are better than three." That was the moment the homeowner, Ahmed's mother, decided to enter. She took a look at the girl on the couch and then to the suitcase beside her. The second she drew her conclusion, she didn't like it and her eyes narrowed.

"Cagalli, don't you think you should go home? I'm sure your mother is worried sick." Now it was Cagalli's turn to narrow her eyes.

"You're kidding, right? I never want to see that wretched woman again for as long as I live!"

"Very well, you're welcome to stay, as always, but I think you should at least tell her where you are." Cagalli sighed.

"Fine, you win."

"If the fight you two had was really so bad, I could make the call for you."

"I think that would be best," Cagalli concluded. "I _really _do."

* * *

The brunet lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling, bored out of his _god-damned-mind_. He wasn't thinking. He wasn't musing. He wasn't counting. He wasn't concentrating on the orange-peel of the ceiling. _That_ had grown tiresome _days_ ago.

He wasn't doing anything, really. He was just laying there, merely laying and staring. But while his eyes were indeed open, he couldn't actually see. Boredom had blinded him. He hadn't even a watch to check on the time. That man had taken the clock, as well as his cell phone.

There was nothing to be considered entertaining within the confines of his room. There were no books, no posters; the contents of his desk had been removed. Even the bag containing his school books and supplies had been confiscated.

For all intents and purposes, he was a prisoner in solitary confinement. The windows were mostly bordered up, gaps being left to let in light enough to see, but not enough so that he may look out the window.

The only human contact the boy had was that man bringing him a meal each evening, if watered down soup from a can and a stale bread roll could be considered a meal. Despite that, he was grateful, if not for the food, than for the regularity. Without some measure to mark off the days, he probably would have gone mad.

Kira wondered if Cagalli was mad at him for missing their arrangement. They had agreed to meet… how long ago was that? How many days had it been? She probably hated him for standing her up like that.

He couldn't blame her for that. It wasn't her fault anymore than it was his own.

He'd have to try and explain that it was beyond his control when he got out of here, when Kerry let him out. He hoped the blonde would believe him, but what if she didn't? Perhaps he should just leave her alone. He didn't want to make things worse between he and Cagalli. She always seemed quick to anger, except when Kira was involved.

Why was that? Why did Cagalli seem to sympathize with him so much? Fllay never did, that was for sure; but on some level, he kind of wished that she would. He didn't know why. She was shallow, discriminative, and cruel; but Kira had often caught himself staring in her direction, watching as she drank from a water bottle; caught his eyes transfixed on her hair, her earlobe, that black strap on her back that teasingly bled through the white of her uniform blouse.

What was it, why did he so consistently find that vain girl in possession of his eyes?

Even now, she wasn't even here and he couldn't help but think of her. Why was he thinking of the red headed girl? He should have been thinking of Cagalli. _She_ was his friend, wasn't she? Did she still consider the Coordinator as a friend? Did she ever? Did she feel insulted that Kira didn't show up, or had she expected it all along? Would talking to her about it help him patch things up, or would it make things worse?

"Maybe it wouldn't do any good, but he had to at least try. If a person were to do nothing, fearing that no good would come, said person would achieve nothing. In fact, they would achieve less than nothing, for their fear would have kept them back, preventing them from committing potential good, for fear of the possible bad.

He had to try, just as soon as Kerry let him out of his house arrest.

Why were things always so difficult? He was a Coordinator living in a Natural's world. Why did he have to be born to this place and this time?

He shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't know why, but he could feel words bubbling up within him, longing to be freed. His mouth opened and they came out as little more than a whisper, foreign as they were.

"_Life… has betrayed me once again…  
I accept some things will never change…"_

He didn't know what the words were, they seemingly poured of him and he felt compelled to speak them. Kira wondered if this was how artists felt when they were overcome with inspiration.

"_I've let your tiny minds… magnify my agony,  
And it's left me… with a chemical dependency… for sanity."_

Kira swung his legs over the side of the mattress and stood to his feet. He began pacing along the perimeter of his room, his cell. He had no thoughts. His mind flowed only with an electric current that pushed him on. He felt sorrow, but also anger. Why the hell was all this happening to him? What gave Kerry the right to treat him the way he did. His lips began to move, began to form words once again.

"_Yes, I am falling,  
How much longer 'till I hit the ground?  
I can't tell you why I'm breaking down,  
Do you wonder why I prefer to be alone?  
Have I really lost control?"_

Just then, Kira heard a sound that stopped the inner workings of his mind. Everything he had just felt instantly faded. All his anger, all his pain, everything that had caused him to question his existence. It all disappeared as his door began to open and in stepped a large man with a plastic serving tray.

Kerry, the owner of the house, and Kira's legal guardian. A man who had recently shaved all of the hair off not only his head, but also the rest of his body. He no longer had even eyebrows.

"What are you doing," he questioned the boy.

"Nothing," Kira replied as respectfully as he could.

"I thought I heard you saying something."

"No, I was just talking to myself."

"So you _did_ say something."

"I was just wondering when you were coming. I was getting hungry," Kira lied, not even trying to sound convincing. Someone in his position who sounded too eager was bound to be found suspicious.

"Is that so… I guess a scrawny piece of shit like you _would_ begin to fade without nourishment. You're weak, boy. Your body has nothing to keep it going. You've got no fat, but you've got no muscle." The bald man placed down the tray and backed away. "You're going back to school tomorrow. If you're away for much longer than a week, the school'll be asking for doctors notes, and I am _not _paying off a GP for _your_ scrawny ass." Kira nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I know that no one gives a shit about you, but they've gotta keep things professional, even when a Coordinator is involved."

Kira nodded once more and Kerry closed the door. The brunet heard the lock click shut and the man's footsteps growing distant, signifying that he was indeed alone again.

Kira smiled.

Despite everything, the boys face twisted into the perverted shadow of a grin. A bitter smile, a scornful smile. A grin full of loathing. His lips began moving once more and he forced his voice through his throat.

"I hate this place," he uttered.

Amethyst eyes drew closed and the young Coordinator's grin turned into a bitter laugh that started silently but soon grew in volume. What a gift, he was being given freedom.

Kira cursed his life and all the people he knew, then his laugh turned to a haunted song, his voice a rasped whisper.

"_Happy birthday… to me."_


End file.
